m 




Copyright iN^. 



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COPVRFGHT DEPOSIT. 




HENRY WAUSWORTH LONGFELLOW 



Classics in the Grades 

V 

THE COURTSHIP OF 
MILES STANDISH 



BY 

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW 



WITH SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS, 
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES,, HISTORICAL 
MATERIAL, EXPLANATORY NOTES, 
AND CRITICAL OPINIONS 



BY 

A. J. DEMAREST, A. M. 

Superintendent of Schools, Hoboken, N. J. 



PHILADELPHIA: 

CHRISTOPHER SOWER COMPANY 
124 N. Eighteenth Street 

inn 






Copyright, 1911, by 
Christopher Sower Company 



©CI.A2928(>9 



i 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Prefatory Note to the Teacher 5 

The Poem 9 

I. Miles Standish 9 

II, Love and Friendship 20 

III. The Lover's Errand 27 

IV. John Alden 40 

V. The SaiUng of the Mayflower 52 

VI. Priscilla 65 

VII. The March of Miles Standish 73 

VIII. The Spinning Wheel 80 

IX. The Wedding Day 89 

Biographical Sketch of Longfellow 97 

Chronology of Longfellow's Poems 100 

Historical Background of the Poem 102 

The Pilgrims in England 102 

The Pilgrims in Holland 104 

The Pilgrims on the Mayflower 106 

The Compact 107 

The Pilgrims at Plymouth 110 

Treaty with Massasoit 112 

3 



4 CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The Characters of the Poem 114 

Miles Standish 114 

John Alden 117 

Priscilla Mullins 119 

William Bradford 120 

William Brewgter 121 

Edward Winslow 122 

Study of the Poem 123 

Figures of Speech 123 

Critical Opinions 126 

Suggestive Questions 127 

Bibliography 129 

Study for Advanced Classes 130 



PREFATORY NOTE TO THE TEACHER 



Before the reading of "The Courtship of Miles Standish" is 
taken up for class work, the teacher should make a careful study 
of the historic facts with which the poem deals, in order to give 
a correct interpretation of this great masterpiece. While "The 
Courtship of Miles Standish" will appeal to the ordinary reader, 
yet a study of it, such as may be required for the class-room, 
requires some preliminary study on the part of the teacher. 
This critical study should be of a two-fold character: first, the 
foundations upon which the author built his story, and, second, 
references to poems of other authors, similar in character, with 
which portions of "The Courtship of Miles Standish" may be 
compared and contrasted. It should be kept in mind that the 
background of "The Courtship of Miles Standish" is historical. 
The teacher should be thoroughly familiar with the history of 
the Pilgrims in order to get in the atmosphere of the poem. In 
teaching any classic, it should be the aim of the teacher to im- 
plant in the minds of the pupils a strong desire to read that par- 
ticular story. (See page 102.) 

OUTLINE FOR CLASS READING 

A classic improves with each reading, and this poem should 
be read by the class at least three times. 

First Reading 

The first step in the reading of any classic is to read it as 
a whole for the purpose of permitting the pupil to get the thread 
of the story. In no sense should this reading be used as a formal 

5 



6 PREFATORY NOTE TO THE TEACHER 

reading lesson. We shall make an inevitable failure if we attempt 
to teach reading in connection with literary appreciation of a 
classic. The first lessons, then, should require merely an intelli- 
gent reading of the poem. The poem should be read aloud in a 
pleasing manner to get a good understanding and appreciation 
of the story. Each day's lesson should be so planned that it 
will stop at some interesting place, in order to keep up a sustained 
interest on the part of the class. When we have read and have 
grasped the poem as a whole, we are ready for the second reading. 

Second Reading 

In reading the poem a second time, we should aim to study 
the mechanical means by which the author secured his effects. 
In this detailed study, the teacher should do all the reading, 
planning each day's lesson so that it will stop at some logical 
place in the story. During the second reading the student 
should form clear conceptions of — 

(a) The Characters. — Are the people in the poem life-like? 
Are they real? Can you see them? What are the prominent 
traits of each character? Who is the hero? the heroine? What 
does the hero do that is heroic? the heroine? Which is your 
favorite character? How many of the characters are real 
persons? Show that the characters are well chosen for the 
purposes of contrast. Contrast the self-assertive, robust, and 
impetuous soldier with the refined and sensitive young scholar. 
Characterize Priscilla as to her womanly nature, her vein of 
humor, her views as to the choice of a husband, and her temper- 
ament. Dwell upon Standish's good qualities of heart; the 
valiant service that he rendered to the colony. Emphasize the 
fact that this poem is more than a Puritan idyl — it is the story 
of a strong man's conquest of himself, and a maiden's fearless 
obedience to the voice of her heart. Are you satisfied with the 
ending of the story? 

(b) The Setting. — Where is the scene of this poem laid? At 
what time of the year? Are the homes of the colonists vividly 
portrayed? Can you see the Mayflower riding at anchor in 



PREFATORY NOTE TO THE TEACHER 7 

the harbor? the austere settlers at work building their homes 
in the forest? the visits of the Indians? Can you call up mental 
pictures of the seven houses in the silent and sombre forest? 
the sufferings of the first winter? the secret burials of the dead 
on Cole's Hill? Lay great stress upon the fact that notwith- 
standing the terrible mortality, the discouragements and dis- 
asters which overcame them, their sublime faith in their enter- 
prise was so well grounded that not one took advantage of the 
opportunity to return to England when the Mayflower set sail 
for her return voyage in April. What is the prevailing hue of 
the poem? In what way has the poet relieved the sombre setting 
of the poem? Is there any "local color"? Select some richly 
colored pictures, such as a gorgeous sunset, an autumnal forest, 
and a sunrise. Do the descriptions of nature surpass the deline- 
ations of personal portraits? 

(c) The Plot. — Is the story interesting? Does it hold your 
interest? Are there any parts where the interest flags? Does 
the story lack unity? What is gained by the short introduction? 
What is the complicating force? What is the first crisis? Name 
other crises that follow? Where is the interest at the highest 
(climax) pitch? Show how everything goes wrong to the cli- 
matic point and then how every difficulty unravels itself. After 
the climax has been reached, how does the poet reawaken the 
interest on the part of the reader? Who brings about the (re- 
solving force) solution of the problem? How does Part III 
play an important part in the development of the plot? Show 
how the author has made use of ^'•poetic license'^ in the arrange- 
ment of his material. 

(d) The Style. — Name the colloquial and idiomatic expressions. 
Select words that are terse and strong; those that are highly 
polished or ornamental. Notice that many of the sentences are 
inverted: "Brown as a nut was his face," "Strange is the heart 
of man." Notice that the author frequently begins a sentence 
in the middle of a line and lets it run over into the next line. 
Call attention to the use of balance of words and phrases for 
rhetorical effect: ^^ Friendship was in their looks, but in their 



8 PREFATORY NOTE TO THE TEACHER 

hearts there was hatred." Note the Bibhcal allusions and show 
their appropriateness in this poem. Teach the pupils to recog- 
nize the commonest figures of speech. 

(e) Memory Gems. — The pupils should be encouraged to select 
choice passages for memorization and to state the reasons for 
their selection. 

(f) Collateral Reading. — The study of this poem should be pre- 
sented in such an interesting manner as to give the pupils a desire 
to read other narrative poems. The following poems are sug- 
gestive: Longfellow's Evangeline, Tennyson's Enoch Arden, and 
Scott's Marmion. 

(g) Composition and Outline IForA:.— Brief compositions may be 
written upon selected topics or in reproducing parts of the story. 
The following list of composition subjects from "The Courtship 
of Miles Standish" may be profitably used in connection with the 
study of the poem: 

a. The Character of the Indians. 

b. Occupation, dress, customs, and manners of the people 

of the seventeenth century. 

c. Write the story which Miles Standish told to explain his 

long absence. 

d. Suppose that John Alden had sailed away on the May- 

flower as he intended: write the story as you think it 
would have ended. 

e. Justify the statement of Standish that Julius Caesar was 

a wonderful man. 

Third Reading 

This reading should be free from all criticism, and should be 
given for the purpose of permitting the student to enjoy the 
revealed beauty of the poem. 



THE 

COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 



MILES STANDISH 

In the Old Colony days, in Plymouth the land of the 

Pilgrims, 
To and fro in a room of his simple and primitive 

dwelling, 

The territory in eastern Massachusetts occupied by the 
Plymouth Colony. 

A seaport in eastern Massachusetts about 35 miles southeast 
of Boston. It is the oldest New England town. 

The Pilgrim Fathers were the first settlers in Massachusetts. 
In 1608, a party of Separatists, chiefly from the north of England, 
weary of the constant religious persecutions, left England and 
settled at Amsterdam, whence they later moved to Leyden. 
But they could not conform to the customs of Holland. In 
1617 they obtained from the Virginia Company a grant of 
settlement in its territory in America. Early in 1620 the Pil- 
grims embarked from Delfhaven in the "Speedwell," a vessel 
chartered in Holland. Arriving at Southampton, they found 
the ''Mayflower," which had been brought from London, await- 
ing them. August 5, 1620, the "Mayflower" and the "Speed- 
well" left Southampton for the New World. Twice the "Speed- 
well" put back for repairs, and the second time she was left, the 
"Mayflower" sailing alone from Plymouth with 102 passengers, 
September 6th. Their destination was to a point near the Hud- 



10 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Clad in doublet and hose, and boots of Cordovan 
leather, 

Strode, with a martial air. Miles Standish the Puritan 
Captain. 

Buried in thought he seemed, with his hands behind 
him, and pausing 5 

Ever and anon to behold his glittering weapons of 
warfare, 

Hanging in shining array along the walls of the cham- 
ber, — 

Cutlass and corselet of steel, and his trusty sword of 
Damascus, 

son River, but the wind drove them to the north. On November 
21 the "Mayflower" dropped anchor off what is now Province- 
town. Later the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, and thus 
the colony of Plymouth was begun. 

The colonists built their first houses of rough-hewn logs filled 
in with mortar. The roofs were thatched, and oil paper was used 
instead of glass. 

Doublet, a close fitting garment for men, covering the body 
from the neck to the waist or a little below. 

Hose, breeches reaching to the knee. These costumes were 
worn in western Europe from the 15th to the 17th century. 

Cordova, a city in southwestern Spain where leather is 
manufactured. Cordovan leather is sometimes goat-skin tanned 
and dressed, but more frequently split horse-hide. During the 
Middle Ages the finest leather came from this place. Cordwain, 
an English name for shoemaker, is derived from Cordovan. 

Cutlass, a short, curved sword used by sailors. 

CoRSEiiET, armor for the body, consisting of breast-plate and 
backpiece. 

Damascus, one of the oldest cities of the world, was formerly 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 11 

Curved at the point and inscribed with its mystical 

Arabic sentence, 
While urderneath, in a corner, were fowling-piece, 

musket, and matchlock. 10 

Short of stature he was, but strongly built and athletic, 
Broad in the shoulders, deep-chested, with muscles and 

sinews of iron; 
Brown as a nut was his face, but his russet beard was 

already 
Flaked with patches of snow, as hedges sometimes in 

November. 

the capital of Syria. It was famous for its sword blades. Damas- 
cus blades were swords or cimeters, the surface of which presented 
a variegated appearance of watering and they were frequently 
engraved with some phrase from the Koran. Both the Massa- 
chusetts Historical Society and the Pilgrim Society of Plymouth 
claim to have the sword of Miles Standish. 

Fowling-piece, a light gun for shooting water-fowl. 

Matchlock, a musket, the lock of which held a slow match 
or a piece of twisted rope. It was fired by bringing the match 
into contact with the powder pan. They were used in England 
till near the end of the 17th century, when they were superseded 
by the flint lock. 

Miles Standish (1584-1656) was born in England; served 
as lieutenant in Queen Elizabeth's army, which was sent to aid 
the Dutch against the Spanish; attached himself to Robinson's 
Congregation; emigrated with the Pilgrims to America in 1620; 
appointed military Captain of Plymouth on February 17th, 1621; 
took an active part in the Indian wars; sent in 1625 as an agent 
of the colony to make a settlement with the London merchants; 
one of the proprietors and settlers of Duxbury; died in 1656, 
leaving a name enrolled in the history of his country. 



12 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Near him was seated John Alden, his friend and house- 
hold companion, 15 

Writing with dihgent speed at a table of pine by the 
window; 

Fair-haired, azure-eyed, with delicate Saxon complex- 
ion, 

Having the dew of his youth, and the beauty thereof, 
as the captives 

Whom Saint Gregory saw, and exclaimed, " Not Angles 
but Angels." 

John Alden (1599-1687) was born in England; emigrated 
with the Pilgrims to New England in 1620; seventh signer of the 
"Mayflower Compact"; married Priscilla MuUines in the spring 
of 1621; served as magistrate for fifty years; built house at 
Duxbury; last surviving signer of the "Compact," dying in 
1687, in his eighty-ninth year. 

What is the meaning of the expressions "Having the dew of 
his youth"? "sinews of iron"? "Saxon complexion"? 

What is the meaning of the expressions "Not Angles, but 
Angels"? "in the pride of his heart"? 

Saint Gregory (540-604), Pope and author. One day a num- 
ber of English slaves, exposed in the Roman forum, attracted the 
attention, as he was passing, of a monk, named Gregory. Struck 
with the beauty of their fair, ruddy complexion and fair hair, 
he inquired from what country they came. "They are Angles," 
was the dealer's answer. " No, not angles, but angels," answered 
the monk, and he then resolved that, should he ever have the 
power, he would send missionaries to convert a race of so much 
promise. In 590 he became Pope. Seven years later he fulfilled 
his resolution and sent St. Augustine with a band of 40 monks to 
England. Ethelbert, King of Kent, and ten thousand of his 
subjects were baptized in the space of one year. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 13 

Youngest of all was he of the men who came in the 
Mayflower. 20 

Suddenly breaking the silence, the diligent scribe 

interrupting, 
Spake, in the pride of his heart, Miles Standish the 

Captain of Plymouth. 
" Look at these arms," he said, " the warlike weapons 

that hang here 
Burnished and bright and clean, as if for parade or 

inspection! 
This is the sword of Damascus I fought with in Flan- 
ders; this breastplate, 25 
(Well I remember the day!) once saved my life in a 

skirmish ; 
Here in front you can see the very dint of the bullet 
Fired point-blank at my heart by a Spanish arcabu- 

cero. 
Had it not been of sheer steel, the forgotten bones of 

Miles Standish 

Mayflower, the ship which conveyed the Pilgrims from 
Southampton to Plymouth. It was a small vessel of about 180 
tons and was named from the mayflower. In England this 
flower is known as tlie hawthorn; in America, as the trailing 
arbutus. 

Scribe, from the Latin word which means to write. What is 
the meaning of the word used in this sense? 

Flanders, a county of the Low Countries or The Netherlands, 
now Holland and Belgium, where war was waged with Spain. 

Arcabucero, formerly a Spanish archer, now a Spanish soldier, 
a musketeer and gunsmith. 



14 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Would at this moment be mould, in their grave in the 

Flemish morasses." 30 

Thereupon answered John Alden, but looked not up 

from his writing: 
'' Truly the breath of the Lord hath slackened the 

speed of the bullet; 
He in his mercy preserved you, to be our shield and 

our weapon! " 
Still the Captain continued, unheeding the words of 

the stripling: 
''See, how bright they are burnished, as if in an arsenal 

hanging; 35 

That is because I have done it myself, and not left it 

to others. 
Serve yourself, would you be well served, is an excellent 

adage; 
So I take care of my arms, as you of your pens and 

your inkhorn. 
Then, too, there are my soldiers, my great, invincible 

army, 

What was Standish's motto? How does this motto appeal 
to you? 

The Bible became the charter of their religious beliefs. With 
them it became the one great book, and it is but natural that scrip- 
tural phraseology became unconsciously a part of their speech. 

Steel pens are a modern invention. In the seventeenth century 
pens were made of quills, and horns were used for ink-bottles. 

Army, this invincible army consisted of twelve men. It was 
invincible from the fact that the members of it were armed 
with guns, while their opponents, the Indians, were armed with 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 15 

Twelve men, all equipped, having each his rest and 
his matchlock, 40 

Eighteen shillings a month, together with diet and 
pillage, 

And, like Caesar, I know the name of each of my sol- 
cUers! " 

This he said with a smile, that danced in his eyes, as 
the sunbeams 

Dance on the waves of the sea, and vanish again in a 
moment. 

Alden laughed as he wrote, and still the Captain 
continued : 45 

" Look! you can see from this window my brazen how- 
itzer planted 

High on the roof of the church, a preacher who speaks 
to the purpose, 

Steady, straightforward, and strong, with irresistible 
logic, 

crude implements of warfare. This army was organized to 
protect the Colony from attacks by the Indians. It was doubt- 
less the beginning of the militia system in America. 

Miles Standish was appointed Captain February 17, 1621. 

Rest, the support upon which the heavy matchlock rested 
while being fired. 

Howitzer, a light cannon, so short that the projectile, which 
was hollow, could be put in its place by hand. A platform was 
built upon the hill, surmounted by five guns, to fortify the settle- 
ment. As a matter of fact, the church was not built until a year 
or two after the time of this poem. 



16 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAXDISH 

Orthodox, flashing conviction right into the hearts of 

the heathen. 
Now we are ready, I think, for any assault of the 

Indians : 50 

Let them come, if they Hke, and the sooner they try it 

the better, — 
Let them come if they Hke, be it sagamore, sachem, or 

pow-wow, 
Aspinet, Samoset, Corbitant, Squanto, or Tokamaha- 

mon! " 

Long at the window he stood, and wistfully gazed 
on the landscape. 

Washed with a cold gray mist, the vapory breath 
of the east-wind, 55 

Forest and meadow and hill, and the steel-blue rim of 
the ocean. 

Lying silent and sad, in the afternoon shadows and 
sunshine. 

Over his countenance flitted a shadow like those on 
the landscape, 

Gloom intermingled with light; and his voice was sub- 
dued with emotion, 

A SACHEM was the chief of the tribe; a sagamore was a lower 
rank, while a pow-wow was a medicine man or conjurer. These 
were real Indian words which were taken by the poet from the 
early histories of the colony. 

What was the pay of these soldiers, estimated in United States 
money? How does this pay compare with the pay of the soldiers 
in the United States army? What do you understand by "pil- 
lage"? Of what could the pillage of these soldiers consist? 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAND ISH 17 

Tenderness, pity, regret, as after a pause he pro- 
ceeded : 60 

" Yonder there, on the hill by the sea, lies buried 
Rose Standish; 

Beautiful rose of love, that bloomed for me by the 
wayside! 

She was the first to die of all who came in the May- 
flower! 

Green above her is growing the field of wheat we have 
sown there. 

Better to hide from the Indian scouts the graves of 
our people, 65 

Lest they should count them and see how many 
already have perished!" 

Sadly his face he averted, and strode up and down, 
and was thoughtful. 

Fixed to the opposite wall was a shelf of books, and 
among them 

Rose Standish died late in January, 1621. 

The colonists suffered terribly during the first winter. The 
months of January and February were the saddest and darkest 
in the annals of the settlement. Death stalked unchecked in 
their midst. In the time of this great distress there were not 
more than 7 well persons left in all the company. Nearly half 
of their number died during this winter, and after they were buried 
on the bluff, now known as Cole's Hill, the earth was levelled that 
the Indians might not know the number, those who survived 
being so feeble that all could have easily been massacred. There 
were now only 53 survivors, which included 22 men, 5 wives, 10 
girls, and 16 boys. Twelve of these men were not communicants 
of Robinson's church. 



18 THE COURTSHTP OF MTLES STANDTSH 

Prominent three, distinguished aHke for bulk and for 
binding; 

Barriffe's Artillery Guide, and the Commentaries 
of Caesar 70 

Out of the Latin translated by Arthur Goldinge of 
London, 

And, as if guarded by these, between them was stand- 
ing the Bible. 

Musing a moment before them. Miles Standish paused, 
as if doubtful 

Which of the three he should choose for his consola- 
tion and comfort. 

Whether the wars of the Hebrews, the famous cam- 
paigns of the Romans, 75 

Or the Artillery practice, designed for belligerent 
Christians. 

Finally down from its shelf he dragged the ponder- 
ous Roman, 

In what period of their history did these wars occur? 

Why did Standish select Caesar in preference to the other books 
in his library? 

Col. William Bariffe, a Puritan, wrote a book entitled "Milit- 
aire Discipline or the Young Artillery Man." It was a treatise 
on military tactics. Added to the title page was Psalm 144: 1: 
"Blessed be the Lord my Strength which teacheth my hands 
to warre and my fingers to fight." 

Commentaries of (or Memoirs) Csesar, the only one of his 
literary works extant, contains the history of the first seven years 
of the Gallic War. 

Arthur Goldinge translated many classical works, among them 
Ovid, Caesar, and DeMornay. He was an English writer and 
friend of Sir Philip Sidney. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 19 

Seated himself at the window, and opened the book, 

and in silence 
Turned o'er the well-worn leaves, where thumb-marks 

thick on the margin. 
Like the trample of feet, proclaimed the battle was 

hottest. 80 

Nothing was heard in the room but the hurrying pen 

of the stripling. 
Busily writing epistles important, to go by the May- 
flower, 
Ready to sail on the morrow, or next day at latest, 

God wiUing! 
Homeward bound with the tidings of all that terrible 

winter. 
Letters written by Alden, and full of the name of 

Priscilla, 85 

Full of the name and the fame of the Puritan maiden 

Priscilla! 

Line 83 fixes the time of the story. 

The Mayflower began her return voyage on April 5th, 1621. 
Notwithstanding the hardships in the new settlement, not one 
of the Pilgrims asked to return to England, and as the vessel 
sailed out of the harbor, all waved a last farewell as she passed 
Gurnet Head and trimmed her sails for England. 

Priscilla was less known than either of her suitors. Among 
the names of the Mayflower company are those of Mr. William 
Mullines and his wife and two children, Joseph and Priscilla, and 
a servant, Robert Carter. William Mullines was the tenth signer 
of the Compact. During the first winter he and his wife died. 
Priscilla Mullines married John Alden in the spring of 1621, the 
third wedding in the colony. She was the mother of eleven 
children. 



20 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 



II 

LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP 

Nothing was heard in the room but the hurrying pen 
of the stripHng, 

Or an occasional sigh from the laboring heart of the 
Captain, 

Reading the marvellous words and achievements of 
Julius Csesar. 

After a while he exclaimed, as he smote with his hand, 
palm downwards, 90 

Heavily on the page: *' A wonderful man was this 
Csesar! 

You are a writer, and I am a fighter, but here is a fel- 
low 

Who could both write and fight, and in both was 
equally skilful! " 

Straightway answered and spake John Alden, the 
comely, the youthful: 

" Yes, he was equally skilled, as you say, with, his pen 
and his weapons. 95 

Somewhere have I read, but where I forget, he could 
dictate 

Seven letters at once, at the same time writing his 
memoirs." 

'' Truly," continued the Captain, not heeding or hear- 
ing the other, 

Write a brief sketch on "A Wonderful Man was this Caesar." 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 21 

" Truly a wonderful man was Caius Julius Caesar! 

Better be first, he said, in a little Iberian village, 100 

Than be second in Rome, and I think he is right 
when he said it. 

Twice was he married before he was twenty, and many 
times after; 

Battles five hundred he fought, and a thousand cities 
he conquered; 

He, too, fought in Flanders, as he himself has re- 
corded ; 

Finally he was stabbed by his friend, the orator Bru- 
tus! 105 

Now, do you know what he did on a certain occasion 
in Flanders, 

Iberia, the ancient name for Spain. 

" In his journey, as he was crossing the Alps and passing by a 
small village of the barbarians with but few inhabitants, and those 
wretchedly poor, his companions asked the question among them- 
selves by way of mockery, if there were any canvassing for offices 
there; any contentions which should be uppermost or feuds of 
great men one against another. To which Caesar made answer, 
' For my part I had rather be the first man among these fefiows, 
than the second man in Rome.' " Csesar, in Lives of Illustrious 
Men, translated by Dryden, vol. ii, 511. 

Caius Julius C^sar, a famous Roman general, statesman, 
orator, and writer. 

Marcus Junius Brutus (85-42 B. C), a Roman soldier, 
scholar, and statesman. Originally an adherent of Pompey, he 
went over to Csesar, after the battle of Pharsalia, induced by 
Cassius to join in the assassination of Csesar; defeated in the 
second battle of Phihppi, and committed suicide by falling upon 
his sword. 



22 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAND ISH 

When the rear-guard of his army retreated, the front 

giving way too, 
And the immortal Twelfth Legion was crowded so 

closely together 
There was no room for their swords? Why, he seized 

a shield from a soldier. 
Put himself straight at the head of his troops, and 

commanded the captains, 110 

Calling on each by his name, to order forward the 

ensigns; 
Then to widen the ranks, and give more room for 

their weapons; 
So he won the day, the battle of something-or-other. 
That's what I always say; if you wish a thing to be 

well done, 
You must do it yourself, you must not leave it to 

others! " 115 

All was silent again; the Captain continued his 

reading. 
Nothing was heard in the room but the hurrying pen 

of the stripling 
Writing epistles important to go next day by the 

Mayflower, 
Filled with the name and the fame of the Puritan 

maiden Priscilla; 

Legion, a division of the Roman army consisting of about 
5000 men. The 12th Legion was Caesar's favorite. 

For a description of this battle see Caesar's Commentaries, 
Book ii, Chap. x. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 23 

Every sentence began or closed with the name of Pris- 
cilla, 120 

Till the treacherous pen, to which he confided the 
secret, 

Strove to betray it by singing and shouting the name 
of Priscilla! 

Finally closing his book, with a bang of the ponderous 
cover. 

Sudden and loud as the sound of a soldier grounding 
his musket, 

Thus to the young man spake Miles Standish the Cap- 
tain of Plymouth: 125 

*' When you have finished your work, I have something 
important to tell you. 

Be not however in haste; I can wait; I shall not be 
impatient!" 

Straightway Alden replied, as he folded the last of his 
letters, 

Pushing his papers aside, and giving respectful atten- 
tion : 

" Speak; for whenever you speak, I am always ready 
to listen, 130 

Always ready to hear whatever pertains to Miles 
Standish." 

Thereupon answered the Captain, embarrassed, and 
culling his phrases: 

" 'Tis not good for a man to be alone, say the Scrip- 
tures. 

Line 133 — See Genesis n, 18, 



24 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 

This I have said before, and again and again I repeat 

it; 
Every hour in the day, I think it, and feel it, and say 

it. 135 

Since Rose Standish died, my life has been weary and 

dreary ; 
Sick at heart have I been, beyond the healing of friend- 
ship. 
Oft in my lonely hours have I thought of the maiden 

Priscilla. 
She is alone in the world; her father and mother and 

brother 
Died in the winter together; I saw her going and com- 
ing, 140 
Now to the grave of the dead, and now to the bed of 

the dying. 
Patient, courageous, and strong, and said to myself, 

that if ever 
There were angels on earth, as there are angels in 

heaven, 
Two have I seen and known; and the angel whose 

name is Priscilla 
Holds in my desolate life the place which the other 

abandoned. 145 

Long have I cherished the thought, but never have 

dared to reveal it. 
Being a coward in this, though valiant enough for the 

most part. 
Go to the damsel Priscilla, the loveHest maiden of 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 25 

Say that a blunt old Captain, a nian not of words but 

of actions, 
Offers his hand and his heart, the hand and heart 

of a soldier. 150 

Not in these words, you know, but this in short is my 

meaning ; 
I am a maker of war, and not a maker of phrases. 
You, who are bred as a scholar, can say it in elegant 

language, 
Such as you read in your books of the pleadings and 

wooings of lovers, 
Such as you think best adapted to win the heart 

of a maiden." 155 

When he had spoken, John Alden, the fair-haired, 
taciturn stripling. 

All aghast at his words, surprised, embarrassed, bewil- 
dered. 

Trying to mask his dismay by treating the subject 
with lightness, 

Trying to smile, and yet feeling his heart stand still 
in his bosom, 

Just as a timepiece stops in a house that is striken by 
lightning, 160 

Explain "a maker of phrases, " "a maker of war." 

Why was Alden surprised by the Captain's request? How did 
he try to mask his dismay? Under the circumstances, did he act 
discreetly? 

Name the figure of speech in line 160. 



26 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 

Thus made answer and spake, or rather stammered 

than answered: 
*' Such a message as that, I am sure I should mangle 

and mar it; 
If you would have it well done, — I am only repeating 

your maxim,— 
You must do it yourself, you must not leave it to 

others!" 
But with the air of a man whom nothing can turn 

from his purpose, 165 

Gravely shaking his head, made answer the Captain 

of Plymouth: 
" Truly the maxim is good, and I do not mean to gain- 
say it; 
But we must use it discreetly, and not waste powder 

for nothing. 
Now, as I said before, I was never a maker of 

phrases. 
I can march up to a fortress and summon the place to 

surrender, 170 

But march up to a woman with such a proposal, I dare 

not. 
I'm not afraid of bullets, nor shot from the mouth of 

a cannon. 
But of a thundering ' No! ' point-blank from the 

mouth of a woman, 
That I confess Fm afraid of, nor am I ashamed to 

confess it! 
So you must grant my request, for you are an ele- 
gant scholar, 175 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 27 

Having the graces of speech and skill in the turning 

of phrases." 
Taking the hand of his friend, who still was reluctant 

and doubtful, 
Holding it long in his own, and pressing it kindly, he 

added : 
'' Though I have spoken thus lightly, yet deep is the 

feeling that prompts me; 
Surely you cannot refuse what I ask in the name of 

our friendship! " 180 

Then made answer John Alden: ^' The name of friend- 
ship is sacred; 
What you demand in that name, I have not the power 

to deny you! " 
So the strong will prevailed, subduing and moulding 

the gentler. 
Friendship prevailed over love, and Alden went on 

his errand. 

Ill 

THE lover's errand 

So the strong will prevailed, and Alden went on his 
errand, 185 

Out of the street of the village, and into the paths of 
the forest, 

Into the tranquil woods, where bluebirds and robins 
were building 

Explain in your own language the meaning of the following: 
"The graces of speech," "skill in the turning of phrases." In 
the conflict of love and fiiendship, which usually wins? 



28 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAND ISH 

Towns in the populous trees, with hanging gardens of 
verdure, 

Peaceful, aerial cities of joy and affection and free- 
dom. 

All around him was calm, but within him commotion 
and conflict, 190 

Love contending with friendship, and self with each 
generous impulse. 

To and fro in his breast his thoughts were heaving 
and dashing, 

As in a foundering ship, with every roll of the vessel, 

Washes the bitter sea, the merciless surge of the 
ocean! 

*' Must I relinquish it all," he cried with a wild lamen- 
tation, — 195 

'' Must I relinquish it all, the joy, the hope, the illu- 
sion? 

Was it for this I have loved, and waited, and wor- 
shipped in silence? 

Was it for this I have followed the flying feet and the 
shadow 

Over the wintry sea, to the desolate shores of New 
England? 

Truly the heart is deceitful, and out of its depths of 
corruption 200 

Rise, like an exhalation, the misty phantoms of passion ; 

What is meant by "populous trees," "hanging gardens of 
verdure," "aerial cities of joy"? 

Does the poet give the impression that Alden's attachment for 
Priscilla began in England? 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 29 

Angels of light they seem, but are only delusions of 

Satan. 
All is clear to me now; I feel it, I see it distinctly! 
This is the hand of the Lord; it is laid upon me in 

anger. 
For I have followed too much the heart's desires and 

devices, 205 

Worshipping Astaroth bhndly, and impious idols of 

Baal. 
This is the cross I must bear; the sin and the swift 

retribution." 

So through the Plymouth woods John Alden went 

on his errand; 
Crossing the brook at the ford, where it brawled over 

pebble and shallow. 
Gathering still, as he went, the Mayflowers blooming 

around him, 210 

Fragrant, filling the air with a strange and wonderful 

sweetness, 

Astaroth or Ashtoreth, the goddess of love of the Phoeni- 
cians. The favorite places of her worship were sacred groves. 
See Judges ii, 3. I Sam. xii, 10, and I Kings xi, 5, 43. 

Baal, the supreme male God of the Phcenicians. He was 
worshipped as the sun-god, and was represented with a crown of 
rays. Offerings made to him were incense, bulls, and on certain 
occasions human sacrifices, especially children. His cult, hke 
that of Ashtoreth, was attended by wild and licentious orgies. 
See Joshua xt, 17; Jeremiah xxxii, 29; I Kings xvi, 22. 



30 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 

Children lost in the woods, and covered with leaves in 

their slumber. 
*' Puritan flowers," he said, '^ and the type of Puritan 

maidens, 
Modest and simple and sweet, the very type of Pris- 

cilla! 
So I will take them to her; to Priscilla the Mayflower 

of Plymouth, 215 

Modest and simple and sweet, as a parting gift will I 

take them; 
Breathing their silent farewells, as they fade and 

wither and perish. 
Soon to be thrown away as is the heart of the 

giver." 
So through the Plymouth woods John Alden went on 

his errand; 
Came to an open space, and saw the disk of the 

ocean, 220 

Sailless, sombre and cold with the comfortless breath 

of the east-wind; 
Saw the new-built house, and people at work in a 

meadow ; 
Heard, as he drew near the door, the musical voice of 

Priscilla 

Children Lost in the Woods or Babes in the Wood, an 
old English ballad of unknown authorship, preserved in Ritson's, 
Percy's, and other collections. The ballad was entered in the 
"Stationers' Register" in 1595. "In 1601, a play was pubhshed 
of a young child murthered in a wood by two ruffins with the 
consent of his unkle." — Child. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 31 

Singing the hundredth Psahn, the grand old Puritan 
anthem, 

Music that Luther sang to the sacred words of the 
Psalmist, 225 

Full of the breath of the Lord, consoling and comfort- 
ing many. 

Then, as he opened the door, he beheld the form of 
the maiden 

Seated beside her wheel, and the carded wool like a 
snow-drift 

Piled at her knee, her white hands feeding the raven- 
ous spindle, 

Who was the Psalmist? How did he get that name? Where 
may his writings be found? 

Why does the poet refer to it as "ravenous"? 

Hundredth Psalm, now familiarly known as Old Hundred: 
Bow to Jehovah all the earth. 
Serve ye Jehovah with gladness; before him come with 

singing mirth. 
Know that Jehovah he God is. 
It's he that made and not we his flock and sheep of his 

feeding. 
Oh, with confession enter ye his gates, his courtyard with 

praising. Confess to him, bless ye his name. 
Because Jehovah he good is; his mercy ever is the same 

and his faith unto all ages. 

Psalm C, translated by Ainsworth. 

Wheel, what kind of a wheel was this? For what purpose 
was it used? 

Martin Luther, a German reformer and translator of the 
Bible. 



32 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

While with her foot on the treadle she guided the 

wheel in its motion. 230 

Open wide on her lap lay the well-worn psalm-book of 

Ainsworth, 
Printed in Amsterdam, the words and the music to- 
gether, 
Rough-hewn, angular notes, like stones in the wall of 

a churchyard. 
Darkened and overhung by the running vine of the 

verses. 
Such was the book from whose pages she sang the old 

Puritan anthem, 235 

She, the Puritan girl, in the solitude of the forest, 
Making the humble house and the modest apparel of 

homespun 
Beautiful with her beauty, and rich with the wealth of 

her being! 
Over him rushed, like a wind that is keen and cold 

and relentless, 
Thoughts of what might have been, and the weight 

and woe of his errand; 240 

All the dreams that had faded, and all the hopes that 

had vanished, 

When was the art of printing introduced? 
Why are the notes in the psalm book spoken of as rough-hewn 
and angular? 

Henry Ainsworth, a teacher and leader who was expelled 
from England and sought refuge in Holland, where he devoted 
himself to writing on different books of the Bible; died in Amster- 
dam about 1622. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 33 

All his life henceforth a dreary and tenantless mansion, 

Haunted by vain regrets, and pallid, sorrowful faces. 

Still he said to himself, and almost fiercely he 
said it, 

'' Let not him that putteth his hand to the plough look 
backwards ; 245 

Though the ploughshare cut through the flowers of 
life to its fountains. 

Though it pass o'er the graves of the dead and the 
hearths of the living. 

It is the will of the Lord; and his mercy endureth for- 
ever!" 

So he entered the house; and the hum of the wheel 

and the singing 
Suddenly ceased; for Priscilla, aroused by his step on 

the threshold, 250 

Rose as he entered and gave him her hand, in signal 

of welcome. 
Saying, " I knew it was you, when I heard your step 

in the passage; 
For I was thinking of you, as I sat there singing and 

spinning." 
Awkward and dumb with delight, that a thought of 

him had been mingled 
Thus in the sacred psalm that came from the heart of 

the maiden, 255 



Line 245, See Luke ix, 62. 

Line 248, See Jeremiah xxxiii, 11. 



34 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Silent before her he stood, and gave her the flowers for 

an answer, 
Finding no words for his thought. He remembered 

that day in the winter, 
After the first great snow, when he broke a path from 

the village. 
Reeling and plunging along through the drifts that 

encumbered the doorway, 
Stamping the snow from his feet as he entered the 

house, and Priscilla 260 

Laughed at his snowy locks, and gave him a seat by 

the fireside. 
Grateful and pleased to know he had thought of her 

in the snow-storm. 
Had he but spoken then! perhaps not in vain had he 

spoken; 
Now it was all too late; the golden moment had van- 
ished! 
So he stood there abashed, and gave her the flowers 

for an answer. 265 

Then they sat down and talked of the birds and the 

beautiful Spring-time ; 
Talked of their friends at home, and the Mayflower 

that sailed on the morrow. 
" I have been thinking aU day," said gently the Puritan 

maiden, 

Golden Moment, what does the poet mean by the use of this 
expression? ^ 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 35 

" Dreaming all night, and thinking all day, of the 
hedge-rows of England, — 

They are in blossom now, and the country is all like 
a garden; 270 

Thinking of lanes and fields, and the song of the lark 
and the linnet. 

Seeing the village street, and familiar faces of neigh- 
bors 

Going about as of old, and stopping to gossip to- 
gether, 

And, at the end of the street, the village church, 
with the ivy. 

Climbing the old gray tower, and the quiet graves in 
the churchyard. 275 

Kind are the people I live with, and dear to me my 
religion ; 

Still my heart is so sad, that I wish myself back in 
Old England. 

You will say it is wrong, but I cannot help it : I almost 

Wish myself back in Old England, I feel so lonely 
and wretched." 

Thereupon answered the youth: " Indeed I do not 
condemn you; 280 

Stouter hearts than a woman's have quailed in this 
terrible winter. 

Yours is tender and trusting, and needs a stronger to 
lean on; 

In England, hedge-rows are used instead of fences to divide the 
fields. In the spring, they are full of blossoms. 



36 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

So I have come to you now, with an offer and proffer 

of marriage 
Made by a good man and true, Miles Standish the 

Captain of Plymouth! " 



Thus he delivered his message, the dexterous writer 

of letters, — 285 

Did not embellish the theme, nor array it in beautiful 

phrases, 
But came straight to the point, and blurted it out like 

a school-boy; 
Even the Captain himself could hardly have said it 

more bluntly. 
Mute with amazement and sorrow, Priscilla the Puritan 

maiden 
Looked into Alden's face, her eyes dilated with 

wonder, 290 

Feeling his words like a blow, that stunned her and 

rendered her speechless; 
Till at length she exclaimed, interrupting the ominous 

silence : 
'' If the great Captain of Plymouth is so very eager to 

wed me. 
Why does he not come himself, and take the trouble 

to woo me? 
If I am not worth the wooing, I surely am not worth 

the winning!" 295 

Then John Alden began explaining and smoothing 

the matter, 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 37 

Making it worse as he went, by saying the Captain 

was busy,— 
Had no time for such things; — 'such things'! the 

words grating harshly 
Fell on the ear of Priscilla; and swift as a flash she 

made answer: 
''Has he no time for 'such things/ as you call it, before 

he is married, 300 

Would he be likely to find it, or make it, after the 

wedding? 
That is the way with you men; you don't understand 

us, you cannot. 
When you have up made up your minds, after thinking 

of this one and that one. 
Choosing, selecting, rejecting, comparing one with 

another. 
Then you make known your desire, with abrupt and 

sudden avowal, 305 

And are offended and hurt, and indignant perhaps, 

that a woman 
Does not respond at once to a love that she never sus- 
pected, 
Does not attain at a bound the height to which you 

have been climbing. 
This is not right nor just; for surely a woman's affec- 
tion 
Is not a thing to be asked for, and had for only the 

asking. 310 

When one is truly in love, one not only says it, but 

shows it. 



38 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Had he but waited awhile, had he only showed that 

he loved me, 
Even this Captain of yours — who knows? — at last 

might have won me. 
Old and rough as he is; but now it never can 

happen." 



Still John Alden Avent on, unheeding the words of 
Priscilla, 315 

Urging the suit of his friend, explaining, persuading, 
expanding ; 

Spoke of his courage and skill, and of all his battles 
in Flanders, 

How with the people of God he had chosen to suffer 
affliction. 

How, in return for his zeal, they had made him Cap- 
tain of Plymouth; 

He w^as a gentleman born, could trace his pedigree 
plainly 320 



Did Alden make the proposal as Standish expected? Was 
Alden sincere in his proffers of friendship for Standish? This 
was a crisis in Alden's life; do you recall another crisis prior to 
this? Where is the first hint that John Alden himself loved 
Priscilla? Does the poet give you the impression that Alden's 
attachment for Priscilla began in England? Would you have been 
satisfied if Alden had asked Priscilla to marry him instead of 
pressing the claims of Standish still further? Why not? 

Why does Priscilla prefer Alden to Standish? 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 39 

Back to Hugh Standish of Duxbury Hall, in Lanca- 
shire, England, 

Who was the son of Ralph, and the grandson of Thurs- 
ton de Standish; 

Heir unto vast estates of which he was basely de- 
frauded. 

Still bore the family arms, and had for his crest a 
cocked argent 

Combed and wattled gules, and all the rest of the 
blazon. 325 

He was a man of honor, of noble and generous nature; 

Though he was rough, he was kindly; she knew how 
during the winter 

He had attended the sick, with a hand as gentle as 
woman's; 

Somewhat hasty and hot, he could not deny it, and 
headstrong, 

Stern as a soldier might be, but hearty, and placable 
always, 330 

Not to be laughed at and scorned, because he was little 
of stature; 

For he was great of heart, magnanimous, courtly, 
courageous; 

Any woman in Plymouth, nay, any woman in England, 

Might be happy and proud to be called the wife of 
Miles Standish! 

'' There are at this time in England two ancient families of 
the name, one of Standish Hall and the other of Duxbury Park, 
both in Lancashire, who trace their descent from a common 
ancestor, Ralph de Standish, living in 1221," 



40 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 

But as he warmed and glowed, in his simple and 

eloquent language, 335 

Quite forgetful of self, and full of the praise of his 

rival, 
Archly the maiden smiled, and, with eyes overrunning 

with laughter. 
Said, in a tremulous voice, " Why don't you speak for 

yourself, John?" 



IV 

JOHN ALDEN 

Into the open air, John Alden, perplexed and bewil- 
dered, 

Rushed like a man insane, and wandered alone by the 
sea-side ; 340 

Paced up and down the sands, and bared his head to 
the east-wind, 

Cooling his heated brow, and the fire and fever within 
him. 

Slowly, as out of the heavens, with apocalyptical splen- 
dors. 

Sank the City of God, in the vision of John the Apostle, 

So, with its cloudy walls of chrysolite, jasper, and 
sapphire, 345 

Sank the broad red sun, and over its turrets uplifted 

Glimmered the golden reed of the angel who measured 
the city. 

Line 344, See Revelation xxi, 10-21. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 41 

" Welcome, O wind of the East!" he exclaimed in 
his wild exultation, 

'' Welcome, O wind of the East, from the caves of the 
misty Atlantic! 

Blowing o'er fields of dulse, and measureless meadows 
of sea-grass, 350 

Blowing o'er rocky wastes, and the grottos and gardens 
of ocean! 

Lay thy cold, moist hand on my burning forehead, 
and wrap me 

Close in thy garments of mist, to allay the fever with- 
in me!" 



Like an awakened conscience, the sea was moaning 

and tossing, 
Beating remorseful and loud the mutable sands of the 

sea-shore. 355 

Fierce in his soul was the struggle and tumult of pas- 

"sions contending; 
Love triumphant and crowned, and friendship wounded 

and bleeding. 
Passionate cries of desire, and importunate pleadings 

of duty! 
" Is it my fault," he said, '' that the maiden has chosen 

between us? 
Is it my fault that he failed, — my fault that I am the 

victor?" 360 

Then within him there thundered a voice, like the 

voice of the Prophet: 



THE COVRTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 4.3 

'' It hath displeased the Lord!" — and he thought of 
David's transgression, 

Bathsheba's beautiful face, and his friend in the front 
of the battle! 

Shame and confusion of guilt, and abasement and self- 
condemnation, 

Overwhelmed him at once; and he cried in the deep- 
est contrition: 365 

" It hath displeased the Lord! It is the temptation 
of Satanr' 

Then, uplifting his head, he looked at the sea, and 

beheld there 
Dimly the shadowy form of the Mayflower riding at 

anchor. 
Rocked on the rising tide, and ready to sail on the 

morrow ; 
Heard the voices of men through the mist, the rattle 

of cordage 370 

Thrown on the deck, the shouts of the mate, and the 

sailors' ''Ay, ay, Sir!" 
Clear and distinct, but not loud, in the dripping air of 

the twilight. 
Still for a moment he stood, and listened, and stared 

at the vessel. 
Then went hurriedly on, as one who, seeing a phantom, 
Stops, then quickens his pace, and follows the beckon- 
ing shadow. 375 

Line 362, See II. Samuel, Chaps, xi, xii. 
Line 367, See Exodus xiv, 21-29. 



44 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 

'' Yes, it is plain to me now," he murmured; ^' the 

hand of the Lord is 
Leading me out of the land of darkness, the bondage 

of error, 
Through the sea, that shall lift the walls of its waters 

around me, 
Hiding me, cutting me off, from the cruel thoughts 

that pursue me. 
Back will I go o'er the ocean, this dreary land will 

abandon, 380 

Her whom I may not love, and him whom my heart 

has offended. 
Better to be in my grave in the green old churchyard 

in England, 
Close by my mother's side, and among the dust of my 

kindred ; 
Better be dead and forgotten, than living in shame 

and dishonor! 
Sacred and safe and unseen, in the dark of the narrow 

chamber 385 

With me my secret shall lie, like a buried jewel that 

glimmers 
Bright on the hand that is dust, in the chambers of 

silence and darkness, — 
Yes, as the marriage ring of the great espousal here- 
after!" 



Thus, as he spake, he turned, in the strength of his 
strong resolution, 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 45 

Leaving behind him the shore, and hurried along in 
the twihght, 390 

Through the congenial gloom of the forest silent and 
sombre, 

Till he beheld the lights in the seven houses of Ply- 
mouth, 

Shining like seven stars in the dusk and mist of the 
evening. 

Soon he entered his door, and found the redoubtable 
Captain 

Sitting alone, and absorbed in the martial pages of 
Csesar, 395 

Fighting some great campaign in Hainault or Brabant 
or Flanders. 

*' Long have you been on your errand," he said with a 
cheery demeanor. 

Even as one who is waiting an answer, and fears not 
the issue. 

^' Not far off is the house, although the woods are be- 
tween us; 

But you have lingered so long, that while you were 
going and coming 400 

I have fought ten battles and sacked and demolished a 
city. 

Come, sit down, and in order relate to me all that has 
happened." 

Line 392, See sketch on p. IIL 
Hainault, County of the Netherlands. 
Brabant, County and duchy of the Netherlands. 



46 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Then John Alden spake, and related the wondrous 
adventure 

From beginning to end, minutely, just as it hap- 
pened ; 

How he had seen Priscilla, and how he had sped in 
his courtship, 405 

Only smoothing a little, and softening down her re- 
fusal. 

But when he came at length to the words Priscilla had 
spoken, 

Words so tender and cruel, " Why don't you speak 
for yourself, John?" 

Up leaped the Captain of Plymouth, and stamped on 
the floor, till his armor 

Clanged on the wall, where it hung, with a sound of 
sinister omen. 410 

All his pent-up wrath burst forth in a sudden explosion, 

E'en as a hand-grenade, that scatters destruction 
around it. 

Wildly he shouted, and loud: "John Alden! you 
have betrayed me! 

Me, Miles Standish, your friend! have supplanted, 
defrauded, betrayed me! 

One of my ancestors ran his sword through the heart 
of Wat Tyler; 415 

Wat Tyler, Recorded in Sir John Froissart's Chronicles of 
England, France, and Spain. Wat Tyler was the leader of a 
revolt of peasants of England in 1381. He is said to have killed 
a tax-gatherer who insulted his daughter, and with Jack Straw 
to have led the men of Kent and Essex to London. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 47 

Who shall prevent me from running my own through 

the heart of a traitor? 
Yours is the greater treason, for yours is a treason to 

friendship! 
You, who lived under my roof, whom I cherished and 

loved as a brother ; 
You, who have fed at my board, and drunk at my cup, 

to whose keeping 
I have intrusted my honor, my thoughts the most 

sacred and secret, — 420 

You too, Brutus! ah, woe to the name of friendship 

hereafter! 
Brutus was Caesar's friend, and you were mine, but 

henceforward 
Let there be nothing between us save war, and impla- 
cable hatred!" 

So spake the Captain of Plymouth, and strode about 
in the chamber. 

Chafing and choking with rage; like cords were the 
veins on his temples. 425 

But in the midst of his anger a man appeared at the 
doorway. 

Bringing in uttermost haste a message of urgent im- 
portance. 

Rumors of danger and war and hostile incursions of 
Indians! 

Line 421, When Caesar recognized his old trusted friend 
Brutus among his assassins, he exclaimed, ''Et tu Brute," which 
means, "And you, too, Brutus." 



48 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAND ISH 

Straightway the Captain paused, and, without further 

question or parley, 
Took from the nail on the wall his sword with its 

scabbard of iron, 430 

Buckled the belt round his waist, and, frowning 

fiercely, departed. 
Alden was left alone. He heard the clank of the 

scabbard 
Growing fainter and fainter, and dying away in the 

distance. 
Then he arose from his seat, and looked forth into the 

darkness. 
Felt the cool air blow on his cheek, that was hot with 

the insult, 435 

Lifted his eyes to the heavens, and, folding his hands 

as in childhood, 
Prayed in the silence of night to the Father who seeth 

in secret. 



Meanwhile the choleric captain strode wrathful 
away to the council, 

Found it already assembled, impatiently waiting his 
coming, 

Men in the middle of life, austere and grave in de- 
portment, 440 

Only one of them old, the hill that was nearest to 
heaven, 

Line 437, See Matthew vr, 4. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAND IS H 49 

Covered with snow, but erect, the Excellent Elder of 

Plymouth. 
God had sifted three kingdoms to find the wheat for 

this planting, 
Then had sifted the wheat, as the living seed of a 

nation; 
So say the chroni<iles old, and such is the faith of the 

people! 445 

Near them was standing an Indian, in attitude stern 

and defiant, 
Naked down to the waist, and grim and ferocious in 

aspect ; 
While on the table before them was lying unopened a 

Bible, 

Elder of Plymouth, William Brewster (1560-1644) was 
born at Scrooby, England; died at Plymouth, Massachusetts, 
April 10, 1644; one of the founders of the Plymouth Colony; 
studied for a short time at the University of Cambridge; post- 
master at Scrooby; in 1607 made unsuccessful attempt to escape 
to Leyden; removed with congregation to Leyden in 1609; 
sailed in the Mayflower in 1620; and became ruling Elder in the 
church at Plymouth as he had been in Leyden. 

"God sifted a whole nation," said Stoughton, "that he might 
send a choice grain into this wilderness." — Sermon on Election. 

Three Kingdoms, People of the dissenting churches of Eng- 
land, France, and Holland. 

These people who formed one church were again sifted as the 
living seed of a nation. 

The Bible used by the Puritans was the Geneva Bible, which 
was made in Switzerland in 1557. 



50 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISM 

Ponderous, bound in leather, brass-studded, printed in 
Holland, 

And beside it outstretched the skin of a rattlesnake 
glittered, 450 

Filled, like a quiver, with arrows: a signal and chal- 
lenge of warfare, 

Brought by the Indian, arid speaking with arrowy 
tongues of defiance. 

This Miles Standish beheld as he entered, and heard 
them debating 

What were an answer befitting the hostile message 
and menace. 

Talking of this and of that, contriving, suggesting, 
objecting; 455 

One voice only for peace, and that the voice of the 
Elder, 

Judging it wise and well that some at least were con- 
verted. 

Rather than any were slain, for this was but Christian 
behavior! 

In January, 1622, Canoniciis, chief of the Narragansett Indians, 
sent a bundle of arrows wrapped in the skin of a rattlesnake as a 
challenge to Gov. Bradford. A few days later, when the skin 
filled with powder and bullets was sent to Canonicus, it so fright- 
ened this bellicose chief that he refused to receive the mysterious 
package. 

Line 457, The poet has used the words of Pastor John Robinson 
to the colonists after the first encounter with the Indians: "Oh, 
how happy a thing had it been if you had converted some before 
you had killed any!" 



THE COVRTSHIP OF MILES STaNDISH 51 

Then out spake Miles Standish, the stalwart Captain 

of Plymouth, 
Muttering deep in his throat, for his voice was husky 

with anger, 460 

'' What! do you mean to make war with milk and the 

water of roses? 
Is it to shoot red squirrels you have your howitzer 

planted 
There on the roof of the church, or is it to shoot red 

devils? 
Truly the only tongue that is understood by a savage 
Must be the tongue of fire that speaks from the mouth 

of the cannon!" 465 

Thereupon answered and said the excellent Elder of 

Plymouth, 
Somewhat amazed and alarmed at this irreverent lan- 
guage: 
^' Not so thought Saint Paul, nor yet the other 

Apostles; 
Not from the cannon's mouth were the tongues of fire 

they spake with!" 
But unheeded fell this mild rebuke on the Captain, 470 
Who had advanced to the table, and thus continued 

discoursing : 
'' Leave this matter to me, for to me by right it per- 

taineth. 
War is a terrible trade; but in the cause that is right- 
eous, 

Line 469, See Acts of the Apostles ii, 3, and Romans xii, 18. 



52 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Sweet is the smell of powder; and thus I answer the 
challenge!" 

Then from the rattlesnake's skin, with a sudden, 

contemptuous gesture, 475 

Jerking the Indian arrows, he filled it with powder 

and bullets 
Full to the very jaws, and handed it bask to the savage, 
Saying, in thundering tones: '' Here, take it! this is 

your ansv/er!" 
Silently out of the room then glided the glistening 

savage. 
Bearing the serpent's skin, and seeming himself like a 

serpent, 480 

Winding his sinuous way in the dark to the depths of 

the forest. 



V 

THE SAILING OF THE MAYFLOWER 

Just in the gray of the dawn, as the mists uprose 
from the meadows. 

There was a stir and a sound in the slumbering village 
of Plymouth; 

Clanging and clicking of arms, and the order impera- 
tive, '' Forward!" 

Given in tone suppressed, a tramp of feet, and then 
silence. 485 

Figures ten, in the mist, marched slowly out of the 
village. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 53 

Standish the stalwart it was, with eight of his valorous 

army, 
Led by their Indian guide, by Hobomok, friend of the 

white men. 
Northward marching to quell the sudden revolt of the 

savage. 
Giants they seemed in the mist, or the mighty men of 

King David; 490 

Giants in heart they were, who believed in God and 

the Bible, — 
Ay, who believed in the smiting of Midianites and 

Philistines. 
Over them gleamed far off the crimson banners of 

morning; 
Under them loud on the sands, the serried billows, ad- 
vancing. 
Fired along the line, and in regular order retreated. 495 

Many a mile had they marched, when at length the 
village of Plymouth 

Why did Standish only take eight of his invincible army 
instead of twelve men? 

Hobomok, a periesse or counselor of the Massasoit tribe; 
joined the colony and proved a faithful friend until his death; 
acted as interpreter for the colonists; for his faithfulness he was 
given a town lot; he became a firm believer in the white man's 
God. 

Midianites, see Exodus ii, 15. 

Philistines, see Exodus xiii, 17. 



54 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Woke from its sleep, and arose, intent on its manifold 
labors. 

Sweet was the air and soft: and slowly the smoke 
from the chimneys 

Rose over roofs of thatch, and pointed steadily east- 
ward; 

Men came forth from the doors and paused and talked 
of the weather, 500 

Said that the wind had changed, and was blowing fair 
for the Mayflower ; 

Talked of their Captain's departure, and all the dan- 
gers that menaced. 

He being gone, the town and what should be done in 
his absence. 

Merrily sang the birds, and the tender voices of 
women 

Consecrated with hymns the common cares of the 
household. 505 

Out of the sea rose the sun, and the billows rejoiced 
at his coming; 

Beautiful were his feet on the purple tops of the moun- 
tains ; 

Beautiful on the sails of the Majrflower riding at 
anchor, 

Battered and blackened and worn by all the storms of 
the winter. 

Loosely against her masts was hanging and flapping 
her canvas, 510 

Rent by so many gales, and patched by the hands of 
the sailors. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 55 

Suddenly from her side, as the sun rose over the 
ocean, 

Darted a puff of smoke, and floated seaward; anon rang 

Loud over field and forest the cannon's roar, and the 
echoes 

Heard and repeated the sound, the signal-gun of de- 
parture! 515 

Ah! but with louder echoes replied the hearts of the 
people! 

Meekly, in voices subdued, the chapter was read from 
the Bible, 

Meekly the prayer was begun, but ended in fervent 
entreaty! 

Then from their houses in haste came forth the Pil- 
grims of Plymouth, 

Men and women and children, all hurrying down to the 
sea-shore, 520 

Eager, with tearful eyes, to say farewell to the May- 
flower, 

Homeward bound o'er the sea, and leaving them here 
in the desert. 

Foremost among them was Alden. All night he 

had lain without slumber. 
Turning and tossing about in the heat and unrest of 

his fever. 
He had beheld Miles Standish, who came back late 

from the council, 525 

Stalking into the room, and heard him mutter and 

murmur. 



56 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAXDISH 

Sometimes it seemed a prayer, and sometimes it 

sounded like swearing. 
Once he had come to the bed, and stood there a mo- 
ment in silence; 
Then he had turned away, and said: ''I will not 

awake him; 
Let him sleep on, it is best; for what is the use of 

more talking!" 530 

Then he extinguished the light, and threw himself 

down on his pallet, 
Dressed as he was, and ready to start at the break of 

the morning, — 
Covered himself with the cloak he had worn in his 

campaigns in Flanders, — 
Slept as a soldier sleeps in his bivouac, ready for 

action. 
But with the dawn he arose; in the twilight Alden 

beheld him 535 

Put on his corselet of steel, and all the rest of his 

armor. 
Buckle about his waist his trusty blade of Damas- 
cus, 
Take from the corner his musket, and so stride out of 

the chamber. 
Often the heart of the youth had burned and yearned 

to embrace him, 
Often his lips had essayed to speak, imploring for 

pardon ; 540 

All the old friendship came back with its tender and 

grateful emotions; ^ 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 57 

But his pride overmastered the nobler nature within 

him, — 
Pride and the sense of his wrong, and the burning 

fire of the insult. 
So he beheld his friend departing in anger, but spake 

not. 
Saw him go forth to danger, perhaps to death, and he 

spake not! 545 

Then he arose from his bed, and heard what the people 

were saying, 
Joined in the talk at the door, with Stephen and 

Richard and Gilbert, 
Joined in the morning prayer, and in the reading of 

Scripture, 
And with the others, in haste went hurrying down to 

the sea-shore, 
Down to the Plymouth Rock, that had been to their 

feet as a doorstep 550 

Into a world unknown, — the corner-stone of a nation! 

There with his boat was the Master, already a little 
impatient 

Explain the meaning of the expression "the corner-stone of a 
nation." 

At Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, Massachusetts, the Pilgrims 
landed. 

Line 547, Stephen Hopkins, Richard Warren, and Gilbert 
Winslow. 

Master, Commander of a merchant vessel. 

Mr. Jones was master or captain of the Mayflower. 




o 
o 

« 

X 
O 

Ph 

« 

O 

Ph 

o 

< 
o 

w 
tc 



THE COURTSBTP OF MTLES STANDlSH 59 

Lest he should lose the tide, or the wind might shift 

to the eastward, 
Square-built, hearty, and strong, with an odor of ocean 

about him, 
Speaking with this one and that, and cramming letters 

and parcels 555 

Into his pockets capacious, and messages mingled to- 
gether 
Into his narrow brain, till at last he was wholly bewil- 
dered. 
Nearer the boat stood Alden, with one foot placed on 

the gunwale, 
One still firm on the rock, and talking at times with 

the sailors. 
Seated erect on the thwarts, all ready and eager for 

starting. 560 

He too was eager to go, and thus put an end to his 

anguish, 
Thinking to fly from despair, that swifter than keel is 

or canvas. 
Thinking to drown in the sea the ghost that would rise 

and pursue him. 
But as he gazed on the crowd, he beheld the form of 

Priscilla 
Standing dejected among them, unconscious of all that 

was passing. 565 

Gunwale, The upper edge of a vessel's or boat's side. 

Thwarts, a seat in an open boat reaching from one side to the 
other. 



60 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAND ISH 

Fixed were her eyes upon his, as if she divined his in- 
tention, 

Fixed with a look so sad, so reproachful, imploring, 
and patient. 

That with a sudden revulsion his heart recoiled from 
its purpose, 

As from the verge of a crag, where one step more is 
destruction. 

Strange is the heart of man, with its quick, mysteri- 
ous instincts! 570 

Strange is the life of man, and fatal or fated are mo- 
ments. 

Whereupon turn, as on hinges, the gates of the wall 
adamantine! 

" Here I remain! " he exclaimed, as he looked at the 
heavens above him. 

Thanking the Lord whose breath had scattered the 
mist and the madness. 

Wherein, blind and lost, to death he was staggering 
headlong. 575 

" Yonder snow-white cloud, that floats in the ether 
above me. 

Seems like a hand that is pointing and beckoning over 
the ocean. 

There is another hand, that is not so spectral and 
ghost-like. 

Holding me, drawing me back, and clasping mine for 
protection. 

Float, O hand of cloud, and vanish away in the 
ether! 580 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAND ISH 61 

Roll thyself up like a fist, to threaten and daunt me; 

I heed not 
Either your warning or menace, or any omen of evil! 
There is no land so sacred, no air so pure and so 

wholesome, 
As is the air she breathes, and the soil that is pressed 

by her footsteps. 
Here for her sake will I stay, and like an invisible 

presence 585 

Hover around her forever, protecting, supporting her 

weakness; 
Yes, as my foot was the first that stepped on this 

rock at the landing. 
So, with the blessing of God, shall it be the last at the 

leaving! " 

Meanwhile the Master alert, but with dignified air 

and important, 
Scanning with watchful eye the tide and the wind and 

the weather, 590 

Walked about on the sands, and the people crowded 

around him 
Saying a few last words, and enforcing his careful re- 
membrance. 
Then, taking each by the hand, as if he were grasping 

a tiller. 
Into the boat he sprang, and in haste shoved off to his 

vessel, 
Glad in his heart to get rid of all this worry and 

flurry, 595 



THE counrsiiip of miles STANDISII 63 

Glad to be gone from a land of sand and sickness and 

sorrow, 
Short allowance of victual, and plenty of nothing but 

Gospel! 
Lost in the sound of the oars was the last farewell of 

the Pilgrims. 
O strong hearts and true! not one went back in the 

Mayflower! 
No, not one looked back, who had set his hand to this 

ploughing! 600 

Soon were heard on board the shouts and songs of 
the sailors 

Heaving the windlass round, and hoisting the ponder- 
ous anchor. 

Then the yards were braced, and all sails set to the 
west-wind, 

Blowing steady and strong; and the Mayflower sailed 
from the harbor. 

Rounded the point of the Gurnet, and leaving far to 
the southward 605 

Island and cape of sand, and the Field of the First 
Encounter, 

Took the wind on her quarter, and stood for the open 
Atlantic, 

The Gurnet, a headland at the entrance to Plymouth Harbor. 
Island, Clark's Island. 
Cape of Sand, Cape Cod. 

Field of the First Encounter, where the exploring party 
had their first encounter with the Indians. See Map, page 109. 



64 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Borne on the send of the sea, and the swelUng hearts 
of the Pilgrims. 

Long in silence they watched the receding sail of 
the vessel, 

Much endeared to them all, as something living and 
human; 610 

Then, as if filled with the spirit, and wrapt in a vis- 
ion prophetic. 

Baring his hoary head, the excellent Elder of Ply- 
mouth 

Said, " Let us pray!" and they prayed, and thanked 
the Lord and took courage. 

Mournfully sobbed the waves at the base of the rock, 
and above them 

Bowed and whispered the wheat on the hill of death, 
and their kindred 615 

Seemed to awake in their graves, and to join in the 
prayer that they uttered. 

Sun-illumined and white, on the eastern verge of the 
ocean 

Gleamed the departing sail, like a marble slab in a 
graveyard ; 

Buried beneath it lay forever all hope of escaping. 

Lo! as they turned to depart, they saw the form of an 
Indian, 620 

Watching them from the hill; but while they spake 
with each other, 

Line 613, see Acts of the Apostles xxviii, 15. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAND ISH 65 

Pointing with outstretched hands, and saying, " Look!'* 

he had vanished. 
So they returned to their homes; but Alden Hngered 

a Httle, 
Musing alone on the shore and watching the wash of 

the billows 
Round the base of the rock, and the sparkle and flash 

of the sunshine, 625 

Like the spirit of God, moving visibly over the waters. 



VI 

PRISCILLA 



Thus for a while he stood, and mused by the shore 

of the ocean. 
Thinking of many things, and most of all of Priscilla; 
And as if thought had the power to draw to itself, like 

the loadstone, 
Whatsoever it touches, by subtile laws of its nature, 630 
Lo! as he turned to depart, Priscilla was standing 

beside him. 

" Are you so much offended, you will not speak to 

me?" said she. 
" Am I so much to blame, that yesterday, when you 

were pleading 
Warmly the cause of another, my heart, impulsive 

and wayward. 

Line 626, See Genesis 1, 2. 



66 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Pleaded your own, and spake out, forgetful perhaps 
of decorum? 635 

Certainly you can forgive me for speaking so frankly, 
for saying 

What I ought not to have said, yet now I can never 
unsay it; 

For there are moments in life when the heart is so 
full of emotion, 

That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like 
a pebble 

Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its 
secret, 640 

Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered 
together. 

Yesterday I was shocked, when I heard you speak of 
Miles Standish, 

Praising his virtues, transforming his very defects into 
virtues. 

Praising his courage and strength, and even his fight- 
ing in Flanders, 

As if by fighting alone you could win the heart of a 
woman, 645 

Quite overlooking yourself and the rest, in exalting 
your hero. 

Therefore I spake as I did, by an irresistible im- 
pulse. 

You will forgive me, I hope, for the sake of the friend- 
ship between us. 

Which is too true and too sacred to be so easily 
broken!" 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 67 

Thereupon answered John Alden, the scholar, the 
friend of Miles Standish : 650 

" I was not angry with you, with myself alone I was 
angry, 

Seeing how badly I managed the matter I had in my 
keeping." 

'' No!" interrupted the maiden, with answer prompt 
and decisive; 

" No; you were angry with me, for speaking so frankly 
and freely. 

It was wrong, I acknowledge; for it is the fate of a 
woman 655 

Long to be patient and silent, to wait like a ghost 
that is speechless, 

Till some questioning voice dissolves the spell of its 
silence. 

Hence is the inner life of so many suffering women 

Sunless and silent and deep, like subterranean 
rivers 

Running through caverns of darkness, unheard, un- 
seen, and unfruitful, 660 

Chafing their channels of stone, with endless and prof- 
itless murmurs." 

Thereupon answered John Alden, the young man, the 
lover of women: 

*' Heaven forbid it, Priscilla; and truly they seem to 
me always 

Subterranean Rivers, the classic Alpheus, a river in the 
Peloponnesus which flowed for some distance underground. 8ee 
Coleridge's Vision of Kubla Khan. 



6S THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

More like the beautiful rivers that watered the garden 

of Eden, 
More like the river Euphrates, through deserts of 

Havilah flowing, 665 

Filling the land with delight, and memories sweet of 

the garden!" 
'' Ah, by these words, I can see," again interrupted 

the maiden, 
" How very little you prize me, or care for what I am 

saying. 
When from the depths of my heart, in pain and with 

secret misgiving, 
Frankly I speak to you, asking for sympathy only and 

kindness, 670 

Straightway you take up my words, that are plain and 

direct and in earnest. 
Turn them away from their meaning, and answer with 

flattering phrases. 
This is not right, is not just, is not true to the best 

that is in you; 
For I know and esteem you, and feel that your nature 

is noble. 
Lifting mine up to a higher, a more ethereal level. 675 
Therefore I value your friendship, and feel it perhaps 

the more keenly 
If you say aught that implies I am only as one among 

many, 

Beautiful Rivers, the Gihon, the Hiddekel, and the Eu- 
phrates. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 69 

If you make use of those common and complimentary 
phrases 

Most men think so fine, in deahng and speaking with 
women, 

But which women reject as insipid, if not as insult- 
ing." 680 

Mute and amazed was Alden; and listened and 
looked at Priscilla, 

Thinking he never had seen her more fair, more di- 
vine in her beauty. 

He who but yesterday pleaded so glibly the cause of 
another, 

Stood there (embarrassed and silent, and seeking in 
vain for an answer. 

So the maiden went on, and little divined or im- 
agined 685 

What was at work in his heart, that made him so 
awkward and speechless. 

" Let us, then, be what we are, and speak what we 
think, and in all things 

Keep ourselves loyal to truth, and the sacred profes- 
sions of friendship. 

It is no secret I tell you, nor am I ashamed to declare it : 

I have liked to be with you, to see you, to speak with 
you always. 690 

So I was hurt at your words, and a little affronted to 
hear you 

Urge me to marry your friend, though he were the 
Captain Miles Standish. 




JOHN ALDEN AND PRISCILLA 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 71 

For I must tell you the truth: much more to me is 

your friendship 
Than all the love he could give, were he twice the 

hero you think him." 
Then she extended her hand, and Alden, who eagerly 

grasped it, 695 

Felt all the wounds in his heart, that were aching and 

bleeding so sorely. 
Healed by the touch of that hand, and he said, with 

a voice full of feeling : 
*' Yes, we must ever be friends; and of all who offer 

you friendship 
Let me be ever the first, the truest, the nearest and 

dearest!" 

Casting a farewell look at the glimmering sail of 
the Mayflower 700 

Distant, but still in sight, and sinking below the horizon, 

Homeward together they walked, with a strange, in- 
definite feeling. 

That all the rest had departed and left them alone in 
the desert. 

But, as they went through the fields in the blessing 
and smile of the sunshine. 

Lighter grew their hearts, and Priscilla said very 
archly : 705 

" Now that our terrible Captain has gone in pursuit 
of the Indians, 

Where he is happier far than he would be command- 
ing a household, 



72 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

You may speak boldly, and tell me of all that hap- 
pened between you, 

When you returned last night, and said how ungrate- 
ful you found me." 

Thereupon answered John Alden, and told her the 
whole of the story, — 710 

Told her his own despair, and the direful wrath of 
Miles Standish. 

Whereat the maiden smiled, and said between laugh- 
ing and earnest, 

^' He is a little chimney, and heated hot in a moment!" 

But as he gently rebuked her, and told her how much 
he had suffered, — 

How he had even determined to sail that day in the 
Mayflower, 715 

And had remained for her sake, on hearing the dangers 
that threatened, — 

All her manner was changed, and she said with a fal- 
tering accent, 

^^ Truly I thank you for this: how good you have been 
to me always!" 

Thus, as a pilgrim devout, who toward Jerusalem 
journeys. 

Taking three steps in advance, and one reluctantly 
backward, 720 

Urged by importunate zeal, and withheld by pangs of 
contrition; 

Slowly, but steadily onward, receding yet ever ad- 
vancing. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 73 

Journeyed this Puritan youth to the Holy Land of his 
longings, 

Urged by the fervor of love, and withheld by remorse- 
ful misgivings. 



VII 

THE MARCH OF MILES STANDISH 

Meanwhile the stalwart Miles Standish was marching 

steadily northward, 725 

Winding through forest and swamp, and along the 

trend of the sea-shore. 
All day long, with hardly a halt, the fire of his anger 
Burning and crackling within, and the sulphurous 

odor of powder 
Seeming more sweet to his nostrils than all the scents 

of the forest. 
Silent and moody he went, and much he revolved his 

discomfort ; 730 

He who was used to success, and to easy victories 

always, 
Thus to be flouted, rejected, and laughed to scorn by 

a maiden. 

Another instance of poetic license. This march really took 
place in March, 1623. 

Line 723, religious pilgrimages from western Europe to 
Jerusalem. 



74 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 

Thus to be mocked and betrayed by the friend whom 

most he had trusted! 
Ah! 'twas too much to be borne, and he fretted and 

chafed in his armor! 

*'I alone am to blame," he muttered, '' for mine was 
the folly, 735 

What has a rough old soldier, grown grim and gray 
in the harness. 

Used to the camp and its ways, to do with the wooing 
of maidens? 

'Twas but a dream, — let it pass, — let it vanish like 
so many others! 

What I thought was a flower is only a weed and is 
worthless ; 

Out of my heart- will I pluck it and throw it away, 
and henceforward 740 

Be but a fighter of battles, a lover and wooer of dan- 
gers." 

Thus he revolved in his mind the sorry defeat and dis- 
comfort. 

While he was marching by day or lying at night in 
the forest, 

Looking up at the trees and the constellations beyond 
them. 

After a three days' march he came to an Indian 
encampment 745 

Pitched on the edge of a meadow, between the sea and 
the forest; 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 75 

Women at work by the tents, and warriors, horrid 

with war-paint. 
Seated about a fire, and smoking and talking to- 
gether; 
Who, when they saw from afar the sudden approach 

of the white men, 
Saw the flash of the sun on breastplate and sabre and 

musket, 750 

Straightway leaped to their fpet, and two, from among 

them advancing. 
Came to parley with Standish, and offer him furs as 

a present; 
Friendship was in their looks, but in their hearts there 

was hatred. 
Braves of the tribe were these, and brothers, gigantic 

in stature. 
Huge as Goliath of Gath, or the terrible Og, king of 

Bashan; 755 

One was Pecksuot named, and the other was called 

Wattawamat. 
Round their necks were suspended their knives in 

scabbards of wampum. 
Two-edged, trenchant knives, with points as sharp as 

a needle. 
Other arms had they none, for they were cunning and 

crafty. 
" Welcome English!" they said, — these words they 

had learned from the traders 760 

Goliath, See I Samuel xvii, 4, 7. 

Og, See Deuteronomy, iii, 11. < 



76 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Touching at times on the coast, to barter and chaffer 

for peltries. 
Then in their native tongue they began to parley with 

Standish, 
Through his guide and interpreter, Hobomok, friend 

of the white man, 
Begging for blankets and knives, but mostly for mus- 
kets and powder. 
Kept by the white raan, they said, concealed, with the 

plague, in his cellars, 765 

Ready to be let loose, and destroy his brother, the red 

man! 
But when Standish refused, and said he would give 

them the Bible, 
Suddenly changing their tone, they began to boast and 

to bluster. 
Then Wattawamat advanced with a stride in front of 

the other, 
And, with a lofty demeanor, thus vauntingly spake to 

the Captain: 770 

'' Now Wattawamat can see, by the fiery eyes of the 

Captain, 
Angry is he in his heart; but the heart of the brave 

Wattawamat 
Is not afraid at the sight. He was not born of a wo- 
man, 
But on a mountain, at night, from an oak-tree riven 

by lightning, 
Forth he sprang at a bound, with all his weapons 

about him, 775 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 77 

Shouting, ' Who is there here to fight with the brave 

Wattawamat?' " 
Then he unsheathed his knife, and, whetting the blade 

on his left hand. 
Held it aloft and displayed a woman's face on the 

handle, 
Saying., with bitter expression and look of sinister 

meaning : 
" I have another at home, with the face of a man on 

the handle; 7S0 

By and by they shall marry; and there will be plenty 

of children!" 

Then stood Pecksuot forth, self-vaunting, insulting 

Miles Standish; 
While with his fingers he patted the knife that hung 

at his bosom. 
Drawing it half from its sheath, and plunging it back, 

as he muttered, 
''By and by it shall see; it shall eat; ah, ha! but 

shall speak not! 785 

This is the mighty Captain the white men have sent 

to destroy us! 
He is a little man; let him go and work with the 

women!" 

Meanwhile Standish had noted the faces and figures 
of Indians 
Peeping and creeping about from bush to tree in the 
forest, 



78 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 

Feigning to look for game, with arrows set on their 

bow-strings, 790 

Drawing about him still closer and closer the net of 

their ambush. 
But undaunted he stood, and dissembled and treated 

them smoothly; 
So the old chronicles say, that were writ in the days 

of the fathers. 
But when he heard their defiance, the boast, the taunt 

and the insult, 
All the hot blood of his race, of Sir Hugh and of Thurs- 
ton de Standish, 795 
Boiled and beat in his heart, and swelled in the veins 

of his temples. 
Headlong he leaped on the boaster, and, snatching his 

knife from its scabbard, 
Plunged it into his heart, and, reeling backward, the 

savage 
Fell with his face to the sky, and a fiendlike fierceness 

upon it. 
Straight there arose from the forest the awful sound 

of the war-whoop, 800 

And, like a flurry of snow on the whistling wind of 

December, 
Swift and sudden and keen came a flight of feathery 

arrows. 
Then came a cloud of smoke, and out of the cloud 

came the lightning. 
Out of the hghtning thunder; and death unseen ran 

before it. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES ST AN DISH 79 

Frightened the savages fled for shelter in swamp and 

in thicket, 805 

Hotly pursued and beset; but their sachem, the brave 

Wattawamat, 
Fled not; he was dead. Unswerving and swift had 

a bullet 
Passed through his brain, and he fell with both hands 

clutching the greensward. 
Seeming in death to hold back from his foe the land of 

his fathers. 

There on the flowers of the meadow the warriors 

lay, and above them, 810 

Silent, with folded arms, stood Hobomok, friend of 

the white man. 
Smiling at length he exclaimed to the stalwart Captain 

of Plymouth: 
*' Pecksuot bragged very loud, of his courage, his 

strength and his stature, — 
Mocked the great Captain, and called him a little 

man; but I see now 
Big enough have you been to lay him speechless before 

you!" 815 

"Hobbamock stood by all this time as a spectator, and meddled 
not, observing how our men demeaned themselves in this action. 
All being here ended, smiling, he brake forth into these speeches 
to the Captain : ' Yesterday Pecksuot, bragging of his own strength 
and stature, said, though you were a great captain, yet you were 
but a little man; but to-day I see you are big enough to lay him 
on the ground.'" — Winslow's Relation. 



80 THE COURTSHIP OF MILKS STAN DISH 

Thus the first battle was fought and won by the 
stalwart Miles Standish. 

When the tidings thereof were brought to the village 
of Plymouth, 

And as a trophy of war the head of the brave Wat- 
taw am at 

Scowled from the roof of the fort, which at once 
was a church and a fortress, 

All who beheld it r(^joiced, and praised the Lord, and 
took courage. 820 

Only Priscilla averted her face from the spectre of 
terror, 

Thanking (lod in Iht heart that she had not married 
Miles Standish; 

Shrinking, fearing almost, lest, coming home from his 
battles, 

He should lay claim to her hand, as the prize and re- 
ward of his valor. 



viir 

' THE SPINNING WHEEL 

Month after month passed away, and in the autumn the 
ships of the merchants 825 

Came with kindred and friends, with cattle and corn 
for the Pilgrims. 

The "Anne" and the "Little James" arrived Aug. 16, 1623. 
On these two vessels there were 96 new settlers. As several of 
these arrivals were the wives, children, and kindred of the earlier 



THE COVRTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 81 

All in the village was peace; the men were intent on 

their labors, 
Busy with hewing and building, with garden-plot and 

with merestead, 
Busy with breaking the glebe, and mowing the grass 

in the meadows, 
Searching the sea for its fish, and hunting the deer in 

the forest. 830 

All in the village was peace; but at times the rumor 

of warfare 
Filled the air with alarm, and the apprehension of 

danger. 
Bravely the stalwart Standish was scouring the land 

with his forces. 
Waxing valiant in fight and defeating the alien armies, 
Till his name had become a sound of fear to the 

nations. 835 

Anger was still in his heart, but at times the remorse 

and contrition 
Which in all noble natures succeed the passionate out- 
break, 

settlers, many families were now reunited. Among them were 
the two daughters of Elder Brewster, the wife of Samuel Fuller, 
Mrs. Alice Southworth, who afterwards married Governor Brad- 
ford, and Barbara, her last name being unknown, who later 
became the wife of Miles Standish. 

On November 19, 1621, the " Fortune," a small vessel of 51 
tons, unexpectedly arrived with 35 new settlers. 

Merestead, Mere, boundary; stead, place; a bounded portion 
of land. 




fS^mmmmHiiiiui^^i \i 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 83 

Came like a rising tide, that encounters the rush of a 

river, 
Staying its current awhile, but making it bitter and 

brackish. 

Meanwhile Alden at home had built him a new 
habitation, 840 

Solid, substantial, of timber rough-hewn from the firs 
of the forest. 

Wooden-barred was the door, and the roof was covered 
with rushes; 

Latticed the windows were, and the window-panes were 
of paper. 

Oiled to admit the light, while wind and rain were ex- 
cluded. 

There too he dug a well, and around it planted an 
orchard : 845 

Still may be seen to this day some trace of the well 
and the orchard. 

Close to the house was the stall, where, safe and 
secure from annoyance, 

Raghorn, the snow-white bull, that had fallen to Al- 
den's allotment 

In the division of cattle, might ruminate in the night- 
time 

Over the pastures he cropped, made fragrant by sweet 
pennyroyal. 850 

Oft when his labor was finished, with eager feet 
would the dreamer 



84 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Follow the pathway that ran through the woods to the 

house of Priscilla, 
Led by illusions romantic and subtile deceptions of 

fancy, 
Pleasure disguised as duty, and love in the semblance 

of friendship. 
Ever of her he thought, when he fashioned the walls 

of his dwelling ; 855 

Ever of her he thought, when he delved in the soil of 

his garden; 
Ever of her he thought, when he read in his Bible on 

Sunday 
Praise of the virtuous woman, as she is described in 

the Proverbs, — 
How the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her 

always, 
How all the days of her life she will do him good, and 

not evil, 860 

How she seeketh the wool and the flax and worketh 

with gladness, 
How she layeth her hand to the spindle and holdeth 

the distaff, 
How she is not afraid of the snow for herself or her 

household. 
Knowing her household are clothed with the scarlet 

cloth of her weaving! 



So as she sat at her wheel one afternoon in the 
Autumn, 865 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 85 

Alden, who opposite sat, and was watching her dexter- 
ous fingers, 
As if the thread she was spinning were that of his fife 

and his fortune, 
After a pause in their talk, thus spake to the sound of 

the spindle. 
'' Truly, Priscilla," he said, '' when I see you spinning 

and spinning. 
Never idle a moment, but thrifty and thoughtful of 

others, 870 

Suddenly you are transformed, are visibly changed in 

a moment; 
You are no longer Priscilla, but Bertha the Beautiful 

Spinner." 
Here the light foot on the treadle grew swifter and 

swifter; the spindle 
Uttered an angry snarl, and the thread snapped short 

in her fingers; 
While the impetuous speaker, not heeding the mis- 
chief, continued: 
'^ You are the beautiful Bertha, the spinner, the queen 

of Helvetia; 
She whose story I read at a stall in the streets of 

Southampton, 
Who, as she rode on her palfrey, o'er valley and 

meadow and mountain, 



Helvetia, ancient name for Switzerland. The legend of 
Bertha is given in a monograph entitled, Bertha die Spinnerin, 
by Karl Joseph Simrock, 1853. 



86 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Ever was spinning her thread from a distaff fixed to 

her saddle. 
She was so thrifty and good, that her name passed 

into a proverb. 880 

So shall it be with your own, when the spinning-wheel 

shall no longer 
Hum in the house of the farmer, and fill its chambers 

with music. 
Then shall the mothers, reproving, relate how it was 

in their childhood. 
Praising the good old times, and the days of Priscilla 

the spinner!" 
Straight uprose from her wheel the beautiful Puritan 

maiden, 885 

Pleased with the praise of her thrift from him whose 

praise was the sweetest. 
Drew from the reel on the table a snowy skein of her 

spinning. 
Thus making answer, meanwhile, to the flattering 

phrases of Alden: 
*' Come, you must not be idJe; if I am a pattern for 

housewives, 
Show yourself equally worthy of being the model of 

husbands. 890 

Hold this skein on your hands, while I wind it, ready 

for knitting; 
Then who knows but hereafter, when fashions have 

changed and the manners, 
Fathers may talk to their sons of the good old times 

of John Alden!" 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 87 

Thus, with a jest and a laugh, the skein on his hands 

she adjusted. 
He sitting awkwardly there, with his arms extended 

before him, 895 

She standing graceful, erect, and winding the thread 

from his fingers, 
Sometimes chiding a little his clumsy manner of holding. 
Sometimes touching his hands, as she disentangled 

expertly 
Twist or knot in the yarn, unawares — for how could 

she help it?^ 
Sending electrical thrills through every nerve in his 

body. 900 

Lo! in the midst of this scene, a breathless messen- 
ger entered. 
Bringing in hurry and heat the terrible news from the 

village. 
Yes; Miles Standish was dead! — an Indian had brought 

them the tidings, — 
Slain by a poisoned arrow, shot down in the front of 

the battle. 
Into an ambush beguiled, cut off with the whole of 

his forces; 905 

All the town would be burned, and all the people be 

murdered! 
Such were the tidings of evil that burst on the hearts 

of the hearers. 
Silent and statue-like stood Priscilla, her face looking 

backward 



88 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 

Still at the face of the speaker, her arms uplifted in 

horror; 
But John Alden, upstarting, as if the barb of the ar- 
row 910 
Piercing the heart of his friend had struck his own 

and had sundered 
Once and forever the bonds that held him bound as a 

captive, 
Wild with excess of sensation, the awful delight of 

his freedom. 
Mingled with pain and regret, unconscious of what he 

was doing. 
Clasped, almost with a groan, the motionless form of 

Priscilla, 915 

Pressing her close to his heart, as forever his own, 

and exclaiming: 
*' Those whom the Lord hath united, let no man put 

them asunder!" 

Even as rivulets twain, from distant and separate 

sources. 
Seeing each other afar, as they leap from the rocks, 

and pursuing 
Each one its devious path, but drawing nearer and 

nearer, 920 

Rush together at last, at their trysting-place in the 

forest ; 
So these lives that had run thus far in separate 

channels. 
Line 917, See Mark x, 6-9. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH 89 

Coming in sight of each other, then swerving and 

flowing asunder, 

Parted by barriers strong, but drawing nearer and 

nearer. 

Rushed together at last, and one was lost in the 

other. 925 



IX 

THE WEDDING-DAY 

Forth from the curtain of clouds, from the tent of 
purple and scarlet. 

Issued the sun, the great High-Priest, in his garments 
resplendent, 

Holiness unto the Lord, in letters of light, on his fore- 
head. 

Round the hem of his robe the golden bells and pome- 
granates. 

Blessing the world he came, and the bars of vapor 
beneath him 930 

Gleamed like a grate of brass, and the sea at his feet 
was a laver! 

For a description of the Jewish high-priest and his dress, see 
Exodus, chapter xxviii. 
See Exodus xxx, 17-19. 

"May 12 was the first marriage in this place, which, according 
to the laudable custome of the Low-Cuntries, in which they had 
lived, was thought most requisite to be performed by the magis- 



90 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 

This was the wedding morn of Priscilla the Puritan 
maiden. 

Friends were assembled together; the Elder and 
Magistrate also 

Graced the scene with their presence, and stood like 
the Law and the Gospel, 

One with the sanction of earth and one with the bless- 
ing of heaven. 935 

Simple and brief was the wedding, as that of Ruth 
and of Boaz. 

Softly the youth and the maiden repeated the words 
of betrothal, 

Taking each other for husband and wife in the Magis- 
trate's presence, 

After the Puritan way, and the laudable custom of 
Holland, 

Fervently then and devoutly, the excellent Elder of 
Plymouth 940 

Prayed for the hearth and the home, that were founded 
that day in affection, 

trate, as being a civill thing, upon which many questions aboute 
inheritances doe depende, with other things most proper to their 
cognizans, and most consonante to the scripturs, Ruth 4, and 
no wher found in the gospell to be layed on the ministers as a 
part of their office." — Bradford's History, p. 101. 

Line 936, See Ruth iv, 11, 12. 

Wedding Morn, The third wedding in the colony; Winslow's 
being first and John Howland and Elizabeth Tilly being the 
second. 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISII 91 

Speaking of life and of death, and imploring Divine 
benedictions. 

Lo! when the service was ended, a form appeared 
on the threshhold, 

Clad in armor of steel, a sombre and sorrowful figure! 

Why does the bridegroom start and stare at the 
strange apparition? 945 

Why does the bride turn pale, and hide her face on 
his shoulder? 

Is it a phantom of air, — a bodiless, spectral illu- 
sion? 

Is it a ghost from the grave, that has come to forbid 
the betrothal? 

Long had it stood there unseen, a guest uninvited, un- 
welcomed ; 

Over its clouded eyes there had passed at times an ex- 
pression 950 

Softening the gloom and revealing the warm heart 
hidden beneath them. 

As when across the sky the driving rack of the rain 
cloud 

Grows for a moment thin, and betrays the sun by its 
brightness. 

Once it had lifted its hand, and moved its lips, but 
was silent. 

As if an iron will had mastered the fleeting inten- 
tion. 955 

But when were ended the troth and the prayer and 
the last benediction, 



92 THE COURTSHIP OF 3111 ES STANDISH 

Into the room it strode, and the people beheld with 

amazement 
Bodily there in his armor Miles Standish, the Captain 

of Plymouth! 
Grasping the bridegroom's hand, he said with emotion, 

'' Forgive me! 
I have been angry and hurt, — too long have I cher- 
ished the feeling; 960 
I have been cruel and hard, but now, thank God! it 

is ended. 
Mine is the same hot blood that leaped in the veins of 

Hugh Standish, 
Sensitive, swift to resent, but as swift in atoning for 

error. 
Never so much as now was Miles Standish the friend 

of John Alden." 
Thereupon answered the bridegroom: " Let all be 

forgotten between us, — 965 

All save the dear old friendship, and that shall grow 

older^and dearer!" 
Then the Captain advanced, and, bowing, saluted Pris- 

cilla. 
Gravely, and after the manner of old-fashioned gentry 

in England, 
Something of camp and of court, of town and of 

country commingled, 
Wishing her joy of her wedding, and loudly lauding 

her husband. 970 

Then he said with a smile: '' I should have remem- 
bered the adage, — 



THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAN DISH 93 

If you would be well served, you must serve yourself; 

and moreover, 
No man can gather cherries in Kent at the season of 

Christmas!" 

Great was the people's amazement, and greater yet 
their rejoicing, 

Thus to behold once more the sunburnt face of their 
Captain 975 

Whom they had mourned as dead; and they gathered 
and crowded about him, 

Eager to see him and hear him, forgetful of bride and 
of bridegroom, 

Questioning, answering, laughing, and each interrupt- 
ing the other, 

Till the good Captain declared, being quite overpow- 
ered and bewildered, 

He had rather by far break into an Indian encamp- 
ment, 980 

Than come again to a wedding to which he had not 
been invited. 

Meanwhile the bridegroom went forth and stood 
with the bride at the doorway, 

Breathing the perfumed air of that warm and beauti- 
ful morning. 

Touched with autumnal tints, but lonely and sad in' 
the sunshine, 

An old English proverb. Kent County is in southern England. 



94 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISII 

Lay extended before them the land of toil and priva- 
tion; 985 

There were the graves of the dead, and the barren 
waste of the sea-shore, 

There the familiar fields, the groves of pine, and the 
meadows ; 

But to their eyes transfigured, it seemed as the Gar- 
den of Eden. 

Filled with the presence of God, whose voice was the 
sound of the ocean. 



Soon was their vision disturbed by the noise and 
stir of departure, 990 

Friends coming forth from the house, and impatient 
of longer delaying. 

Each with his plan for the day and the work that was 
left uncompleted. 

Then from a stall near at hand, amid exclamations of 
wonder, 

Alden the thoughtful, the careful, so happy, so proud 
of Priscilla, 

Brought out his snow-white bull, obeying the hand of 
its master, 995 

Led by a cord that was tied to an iron ring in its nos- 
trils. 

Covered with crimson cloth, and a cushion placed for 
a saddle. 

She should not walk, he said, through the dust and 
heat of the noonday; 



THE COURTSHIP OF MtLPM STANDiSff 95 

Nay, she should ride hke a queen, not plod along like 
a peasant. 

Somewhat alarmed at first, but reassured by the 
others, 1000 

Placing her hand on the cushion, her foot in the hand 
of her husband, 

Gayly, with joyous laugh, Priscilla mounted her pal- 
frey. 

" Nothing is wanting now," he said with a smile, " but 
the distaff; 

Then you would be in truth my queen, my beautiful 
Bertha!" 



Onward the bridal procession now moved to their 
new habitation, 1005 

Happy husband and wife, and friends conversing to- 
gether. 

Pleasantly murmured the brook as they crossed the 
ford in the forest, 

Pleased with the image that passed, like a dream of 
love through its bosom. 

Tremulous, floating in air, o'er the depths of the 
azure abysses. 

Down through the golden leaves the sun was pouring 
his splendors, 1010 

Gleaming on purple grapes, that, from branches above 
them suspended, 

Mingled their odorous breath with the balm of the 
pine and the fir-tree, 



96 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STAND ISH 

Wild and sweet as the clusters that grew in the valley 
of Eshcol. 

Like a picture it seemed of the primitive, pastoral 
ages, 

Fresh with the youth of the world, and recalling Re- 
becca and Isaac, 1015 

Old and yet ever new, and simple and beautiful 
always, 

Love immortal and young in the endless succession of 
lovers. 

So through the Plymouth woods passed onward the 
bridal procession. 

Line 1013, See Numbers xiii, 23 and 24. 
Line 1015, See Genesis xxiv. 



HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
His Ancestry 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born February 27, 1807, 
in Portland, Maine, which he calls ''the beautiful town that is 
seated by the sea." His father was Stephen Longfellow, a grad- 
uate of Harvard College, a prominent lawyer in Portland and 
at one time a member of Congress. His mother was Zilpah 
Wadsworth, a beautiful woman, fond of music, poetry, and social 
life. On his mother's side the poet traced his ancestral line to 
John Alden and Priscilla Mullen, whom he immortalized in 
"The Courtship of Miles Standish." Henry Wadsworth, the 
second son, was named after his maternal uncle, a lieutenant in 
the American navy. 

His College Days 

His home was in every way favorable to the development of 
a love for literature. He was surrounded by books and an 
atmosphere of culture and refinement. 

He prepared himself for college at the Portland Academy, 
and in his fourteenth year was sent to Bowdoin College where 
he became a member of the famous class of 1825. Some of his 
classmates were: Nathaniel Hawthorne, the novelist; John S. C. 
Abbott, a clergyman and writer; George B. Cheever, the eminent 
lecturer; and Edward Preble, son of Commodore Preble. The 
year, 1821, that Longfellow entered college, William Cullen Bry- 
ant published his first volume of poems and James Fenimore 
Cooper, his novel. The Spy. His translation in the Sophomore 

; 97 



98 mOGnAPlilCAL SKETCH 

year of one of Horace's Odes secured later a professorship in 
his Ahna Mater. He was a close student and ranked second in a 
class of thirty-seven. 

BowDoiN Professorship 

Upon graduation from Bowdoin, when he was but nineteen 
years of age, the trustees offered him the newly created professor- 
ship of modern languages, which he gladly accepted. He spent 
three years in France, Spain, Italy, and Germany preparing for 
his work, and returned to Bowdoin, w^here he remamed for five 
years at an annual salary of a thousand dollars. He taught 
four modern languages and prepared his own text-books in 
French, Spanish, and Italian. 

One of the fruits of his European study was a little book in 
prose which he called Outre Mer. It is made up of a series of 
sketches in the manner of living's Sketch Book. 

In 1831 he married Miss Mary Storer Potter, of Portland, a 
lady of rare beauty and of exceptional culture. Their happy 
married life lasted just four yeS,rs. On his second visit to 
Europe she accompanied him and died suddenly at Rotterdam 
in November, 1835. She is the "being beauteous" commemor- 
ated in the poem, "The Footsteps of Angels." 

Harvard Professorship 

Longfellow's reputation as a teacher and as a writer was not 
confined to Bowdoin. He was looked upon as a teacher of rare 
ability and as a rising man in the world of letters. He was 
called to Harvard as professor of modern languages and belles- 
lettres to succeed George Ticknor, the historian of Spanish 
literature. Before entering upon his duties at Harvard, he 
went abroad the second time to study the Scandinavian tongues. 
At Interlaken, he became acquainted with Miss Frances Apple- 
ton, who inspired the writing of his romance, Hyperion. In this 
story Miss Appleton appears as Mary Ashburton, and the poet 
as Paul Fleming. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 99 

His Cambridge Home 

In 1836 he returned to his duties at Harvard, and took up his 
residence in the Craigie House in Cambridge. This famous 
house belonged to an eccentric widow who supported herself by 
lodgers and was prejudiced against students. She consented to 
accept Longfellow as a boarder upon his assurance that he was 
not a student, and as a mark of special honor assigned him the 
room General George Washington had occupied. The Craigie 
House is the most historic house in New England save Faneuil 
Hall. It is a fine example of colonial architecture; guarded by 
stately poplars and commands a fine view of the Charles River. 
It was the headquarters of General Washington for nine months 
after the battle of Bunker Hill; Tallyrand and Lafayette had 
slept in the house; Jared Sparks, President of Harvard College, 
had kept house in it; Edward Everett and Joseph E. Worcester, 
the lexicographer, lodged here with Mrs. Craigie; but it was 
destined to become still more illustrious as the home of America's 
most popular poet, the laureate of the common human heart. 
Upon the poet's marriage to Miss Appleton this famous house was 
presented as a marriage present to the bride by her father, and 
it became Longfellow's home for forty years. "Here the poet 
received cordially his most distinguished foreign visitors and the 
humblest child admirer." In 1861 the poet suffered a great 
loss through the tragic death by fire of his wife. She was buried 
on the anniversary of her wedding-day. The poet was too 
severely injured in trying to subdue the flames to attend her 
funeral. No direct mention of his loss appeared in his later 
poetry, but this bears a sadder tone. His translation of Dante 
became the poet's solace. 

For seventeen years Longfellow faithfully discharged his 
duties as the head of the department of modern languages, 
giving no less than seventy lectures a year. On his seventy- 
second birthday, February 27, 1879, the school-children of 
Cambridge presented the poet with a chair made from the wood 
of the "Village Blacksmith's" chestnut tree, and called forth the 



100 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

poem, "From My Arm Chair." Longfellow's last years were 
eventless. Nine days before his death he completed his last 
poem, "The Bells of San Bias," the spirit of which w^as in harmony 
with his whole life: 

"Out of the shadows of the night 
The world rolls into light; 
It is daybreak everywhere." 

His Death 

On March 24, 1882, he passed away. There was mourning 
in two continents. A palm branch and a passion flower were 
laid upon the casket. At the service verses from "Hiawatha" 
were read, beginning, 

"He is dead, the sweet musician." 

THE CHRONOLOGY OF LONGFELLOW'S BOOKS 
Poetry and Prose 

1833. Outre Mer. A young poet's sketch-book. 

1839. Voices of the Night. The volume that established his 
name as a poet. Its most popular poem, The Psalm of 
Life. 

1839. Hyperion. A Romance. Hyperion is another sketch- 
book, but it is richer and more mature than Outre Mer. 

1841. Ballads and Other Poems. It included such popular poems 
as The Skeleton in Armor, The Wreck of the Hesperus ^ 
The Village Blacksmith, Excelsior, and The Rainy Day. 

1843. Spanish Student. A three-act play. 

1845. Poets and Poetry of Europe. Selections from 360 authors. 

1846. Belfrey of Bruges and Other Poems. It included five 
popular poems: To a Child, Nuremberg, The Day is Done, 
The Bridge, and The Old Clock on the Stairs. 

1S4.7. Evajigeline. The Flower of American idyls. Longfellow's 
representative poem and his favorite among his own 
writings. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 101 

1849. Kavanagh. A tale of New England life. 

1850. The Seaside and the Fireside. The most striking poems 
are The Building of the Ship and Resignation. 

1851. The Golden Legend. Intended to illustrate Christianity 
in the Middle Ages. 

1855. Hiawatha. America's national epic poem. "Like Arthur, 
Hiawatha seeks to redeem his kingdom from savagery 
and to teach the blessings of peace." 

1858. Courtship of Miles Standish. The Plymouth idyl. A 
Colonial Romance. 

1865-74. Tales of a Wayside Inn. The several poems appeared 
from time to time during a period of ten years. The plan 
of the poem is similar to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. In 
the poems there are seven narrators: The poet (T. W. 
Parsons), The Sicilian (Luigi Monti), the Musician (Ole 
Bull), the Student (Dr. Henry Wales), the Theologian 
(Prof. Daniel Tread well of Harvard), the Spanish Jew 
(Israel Edrehi), the Landlord (Squire Lyman Howe). 

1867. Translation of Dante's Divine Comedy. 

1872. Christus. A trilogy. The poet worked more than twenty 
years on this production. The three parts: 

a. The Divine Tragedy (1871). 

b. The Golden Legend (1851). 

c. New England Tragedies. 

1. John Endicott (story of Quaker persecution). 

2. Giles Corey of the Salem Farms — a story of 
witchcraft. 

1872. The Three Books of Song. 

1873. Aftermath. 

1874. The Hanging of the Crane. A picture of domestic life'called 
forth by a visit of the poet to Thomas B. Aldrich and his 
newly wedded wife in their home. 

1875. Morituri Salutamus. A noble poem read at the fiftieth 
anniversary of his class at Bowdoin. 

1875. The Masque of Pandora. The story is that of Hawthorne's 
Paradise of Children. 



102 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

1878. Keramos (potter's clay). 

1880. Ultima Thule. 

1882. In the Harbor, A posthumous volume of poems. 

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE COURTSHIP OF 
MILES STANDISH 

The Pilgrims in England 

In order to understand this poem and to form a just apprecia- 
tion of it, we must know something about the little band of 
religious exiles who, for conscience' sake, gave up their homes in 
England and settled in Holland, and who, twelve years later, 
severed the ties of their race, emigrated to America, and bravely 
faced the dangers of the sea and the forest so that they and their 
children could enjoy religious freedom and free institutions. 
Priscilla, John Alden, Miles Standish, William Bradford, Edward 
Winslow, and Elder Brewster formed a part of the community 
that settled on New England's "high and rock-bound coast." 
Who were these God-fearing people? from what country did they 
come? what prompted them to cast their fortunes into one com- 
mon lot, and what inspired them to settle in an unknown wilder- 
ness? — are some of the questions that we want to know in order 
to be able to place a just estimate upon the character of these 
men and women who "laid the corner-stone of a new nation." 

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth there were a great many 
people who were not satisfied with the doctrines and ritual of 
the English Church. They wished to simplify some of the forms 
and to drop some of the ceremonies. This they considered puri- 
fying the church, and for this reason they were called Puritans. 
Nearly all of the Puritans had no intention of leaving the church 
of England; they wished to stay in it and purify it from within. 
As early as 1567 a small number of clergymen gave up all hope 
of purifying the service in accordance with their own ideas, and 
decided to separate from the church and to hold religious exercises 
in private houses. In 1580 a clerg3'^man named Brown went 
about the country advocating the policy of separation, and those 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 103 

who adopted it were called Separatists or Brownists. Among 
other things, they did not believe in having bishops to rule over 
them. Some went so far as to deny that the queen was not the 
head of the church. This kind of talk caused the Separatists to 
be accused of treason ; many of them were cast into prison ; some 
were hanged; and Brown fled from England. Notwithstanding 
these persecutions many Puritans in London, in the eastern and 
southern counties, became converts and formed Separatist 
churches. 

In 1606, at Scrooby, a hamlet in Nottinghamshire, Wilham 
Brewster and WiUiam Bradford organized a Separatist church. 
Brewster lived inScrooby, and upon the death of his father received 
the appointment of postmaster of the village. Bradford lived 
in Austerfield, a small village about three miles north of Scrooby. 
At this time Bradford was a young man of seventeen, and twenty- 
three years Brewster's junior. Richard Clyfton, a godly man 
who had lost the rectorship of the Babworth church by refusing 
to subscribe to the canons of the Established Church, was head 
of the Scrooby congregation. John Robinson, a young man of 
thirty-seven years of age, was chosen as Clyfton's colleague. 
The Scrooby congregation worshipped in Brewster's house. 
Before the Scrooby congregation had been organized. Queen 
Elizabeth had died and James I became King. When it became 
known to the authorities that Brewster was a Separatist, his 
commission as postmaster was taken from him; a warrant was 
issued for his arrest, accusing him of being a Brownist. William 
Bradford was also sought after by the king's officers, and tradition 
is responsible for the story that he escaped by hiding in a copper 
cauldron in the cellar of his house. 

Finding that they were continually "spied upon," harrassed 
and persecuted, the Scrooby congregation finally resolved to 
emigrate to the Low Countries, where they were assured they 
would find an asylum and religious toleration. 

In October, 1607, an attempt was made to go secretly to 
Holland. A chartered vessel was at Boston, but the captain 
betrayed them. They were taken before magistrates, and the 



104 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

majority of them, after being detained for a month, were released. 
A second attempt to escape from England was made one year 
later. "In the course of time," says Bradford, "they all gatt 
over at length, some at one time and some at another and some 
in one place and some in another, mette togeather againe accord- 
ing to their desires, with no small rejoycing." 

The Pilgrims in Holland 

After reaching Holland, these fugitives decided to settle in 
Amsterdam, believing that they would have greater opportunities 
there for getting employment. They tarried but a few months 
in Amsterdam, fearing to become involved in a bitter controversy 
between two factions of the Church of England, previously estab- 
lished there. They resolved to go to Ley den. As the means of 
the wealthy men had been spent for the common good, it now 
became necessary for each male member to earn his living which- 
ever way he could. Bradford apprenticed himself to a weaver; 
others turned to such trades as hatters, carpenters, brewers, 
spinners, combers, bakers, and masons. Rev. John Robinson, 
a man gifted in learning as well as in spiritual affairs, was "a 
common father to them all." To assist in the increasing work of 
the church, William Brewster was chosen as assistant pastor and 
Elder. Every Sunday and twice each week John Robinson 
expounded the doctrines of the church in a small-roomed chapel. 
In the course of twelve years' residence in Leyden the congrega- 
tion grew to three hundred communicants. Among those who 
joined and became prominent in the history of this country were 
Edward Winslow, a young man of leisure who happened to 
be traveling through the country, and Miles Standish, a soldier of 
fortune, who had come to the Low Countries in Queen Elizabeth's 
army. 

"To Robinson, Brewster, Bradford, and these two men, not 
only a great nation but the civilized world owes a debt it can 
never repay. Each was a man of mark; the first, a deep thinker 
and a born leader of men; the second, a man of refinement whose 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 105 

religious faith was so deep that no sacrifice was too great to make; 
the third, a man with executive powers that made him the head 
of the colony in America, and for many years its governor; 
the fourth, its ablest financier, and a man whose ability later 
became appreciated by the English government; and the fifth, 
a soldier whose courage and sound common sense more than once 
saved the colony from extermination by the Indians." ^ 

The Pilgrims were not destined to remain in Holland. Their 
period of probation had ended. "Their life in Holland under the 
pressure of common necessities, of common burdens, and at last 
of a common destiny, molded them into a community in which 
labor became the foundation on which was reared that equality 
of rights and powers which became the recognized law. Without 
this period of probation their efforts at colonization would have 
been a failure — or if not a failure, would have planted the seed of 
an autocratic government on these shores.""^ 

The elder members of the congregation decided that it would be 
better for them to remove from Holland. They were prompted to 
take this step for the following reasons: 

First, The unhealthiness of the low countries. 

Second, The difficulty of earning a living. 

Third, The intermarriages of their children with the Dutch, 
which would eventually absorb them and cause them to lose 
their identity. 

Fourth, The apprehension of war at the conclusion of the truce 
between Spain and Holland, which was near its close. 

Fifth, Fear that the young men would enter into military and 
naval service. 

Sixth, The contaminating influences of city life. 

Seventh, Their hope of laying some foundation for propagating 
the Gospel in heathen lands. 

Naturally, their thoughts turned to America. The great prob- 
lem that confronted them was how to raise funds for the under- 

^ Our Pilgrims, by Hanks. 

^ History of Plymouth, by Davis. 



106 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

taking, as many of them were very poor. The Pilgrims sent John 
Carver and Robert Cushman to England to negotiate with either 
the North or the South Virginia Company. Their negotiations 
fell through, and eventually a stock company w^as formed of 
seventy London "merchant adventurers." This company agreed 
to furnish transportation and capital for the enterprise. Carver 
and Cushman found it very easy to get a grant of land, but it 
was not so easy for them to get the consent of the king for religious 
liberty. The king was willing to give his personal consent, but 
refused the royal seal. The terms imposed by this London Com- 
pany were very harsh. In payment for this loan, the colonists 
were obliged to mortgage their labor for seven years, during which 
time all profits and benefits from trade, trucking, working, fishing, 
or any other services of any person or persons were to be turned 
into the common fund. At the end of seven years the capital 
and profit, the homes, lands, and chattels were to be divided 
equally between the adventurers and the planters. 

Meanwhile the Speedwell, a small 60-ton vessel which had been 
bought and had been fitted out in Holland, lay at the quay at Delft 
Haven ready to carry the Emigrants to England. It was the inten- 
tion of the colonists to use her after the voyage for a fishing-boat. 
A letter came from Cushman saying that the Mayflower, a vessel 
of 180 tons, had been chartered to convey the company to Amer- 
ica. It was finally decided that only the younger and stronger 
members of the colony should go, the others to remain and to 
follow at some later time. It was also agreed that Pastor Rob- 
inson should remain with his flock at Leyden, and that Elder 
Brewster should go and become the head of the church in America. 
On or about the 22d day of July they set sail from Delft Haven in 
the Speedwell to meet her consort, the Mayflower, at South- 
ampton. 

The Pilgrims on the Mayflower 

We are indebted to Governor Carver for the only authentic 
account of this voyage, which took (including both day of depart- 
ure and day of arrival) sixty-seven days. When the two vessels 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 107 

sailed from Southampton on the 23d of August, with about 120 
persons, they followed the southern shore of England. On the 
first night the Captain of the Speedwell reported that his vessel 
was leaking and both ships put into Dartmouth Harbor for repairs. 
Ten days later another start was made, and when they were 300 
miles beyond Land's End, Captain Reynolds, of the Speedwell, 
claimed that his ship was so unseaworthy that both vessels 
sailed back to England and anchored in Plymouth Harbor. 
Many of the emigrants, especially those who came from London, 
lost courage and gave up the voyage. The Speedwell was aband- 
oned and the overcrowded Mayflower sailed from Plymouth 
Harbor on September 16, 1620, with 102 emigrants. 

On the sixty-sixth day after leaving England Cape Cod was 
sighted, and in tacking, they found themselves drifting on the 
shoals off the cape; they again changed their course and sailed 
into Provincetown Harbor on Saturday, November 21, 1620, and 
dropped anchor about a mile from shore. 

According to the terms of the London Company, they were 
to settle far south of Cape Cod, at a point south of the Hudson 
river, probably on the Jersey or Delaware coast. They had 
landed on territory within the jurisdiction of Great Britain, 
without either a charter from the king or a patent from the 
Virginia Company. As the charter of the London Company did 
not cover any part of New England, some of the undesirable 
passengers were inclined to act as if they were independent of 
authority. To guard against anarchy, the leaders of the enter- 
prise decided to make a government for themselves, and accord- 
ingly the same day, in the cabin of the Mayflower, 41 out of the 
53 men entered into the following compact, giving equal rights 
to all: 

The Compact 

"In the name of God, amen: 

"We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our 
dread sovereign Lord King James by the grace of God of Great 
Britain, France, Ireland, king, defender of the faith, etc., having 



108 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian 
faith and honor of our king, and country, a voyage to plant the 
first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents 
solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one of another, 
covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, 
for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the 
ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and 
frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, 
and offices from time to time as shall be thought most meet and 
convenient for the general good of the colony, unto which we 
promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof 
we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th 
of November, in the year of the reign of our sovereign lord King 
James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of 
Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620. 



Mr. John Carver. 
William Bradford. 
Mr. Edward Winslow, 
Mr. William Brewster. 
Mr. Isaac Allerton. 
Capt. Miles Standish. 
John Alden. 
Mr. Samuel Fuller. 
Mr. Christopher Martin. 
Mr. William Mullins. 
Mr. William White. 
Mr. Richard Warren. 
John Howland. 
Mr. Stephen Hopkins. 
Edward Tilly. 
John Tilly. 
Francis Cooke. 
Thomas Rogers. 
Thomas Tinker. 
John Ridgale. 
Edward Fuller. 



John Turner. 
Francis Eaton. 
James Chilton. 
John Crackston. 
John Billington. 
Moses Fletcher. 
John Goodman. 
Degory Priest. 
Thomas Williams. 
Gilbert Winslow. 
Edmond Margeson. 
Peter Brown. 
Richard Britteridge. 
George Soule. 
Richard Clarke. 
Richard Gardiner. 
John Allerton. 
Thomas English. 
Edward Doty. 
Edward Leister. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



109 



After this, they elected Mr. John Carver governor for the 
year. It is unnecessary to dwell on the incidents while the May- 
flower remained in Cape Cod Harbor. On Monday, the 23d of 
November, the women went ashore to do a "much-needed 
washing," and thus established the first wash day in New Eng- 
land. Several expeditions were undertaken to select a suitable 
site for the settlement; the first and second of these were fruit- 
less. On the 16th of December, ten men and eight seamen again 
started out to find a larger harbor. On the second day they had 
their first encounter with the Indians mentioned in the poem. 
They spent the Sabbath on Clark's Island, so named after 
the mate of the shallop. They spent Monday sounding Ply- 





THIRD EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 



PLYMOUTH HARBOR. 



mouth Harbor and exploring the shore. They finally decided 
in favor of Plymouth Harbor as the most suitable site, for the 
following reasons: a good harbor, cleared land upon which to 
erect their houses, a brook of wholesome water, and natural 
defenses from the Indians. "Monday, December 21, 1620, was 
the day of the landing of the shallop party on Plymouth Rock, 
and it is this event, and not the landing of the ship's party 
afterwards, which is celebrated as the landing of the Pilgrims — 
the birthday of New England." The exploring party had been 
absent about a week. Upon their return to the ship William 
Bradford, one of the exploring party, was met with the sad news 
that his young wife, Dorothy, had fallen overboard and drowned 



110 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

during his absence. Another thing that had happened while the 
ship lay at Cape Cod was the birth of a son to William and Susan- 
nah White, quaintly christened Peregrine— the first English 
child born on the coast of New England. 

By the end of the week the Mayflower was safely anchored 
in Plymouth Harbor, her voyage done, and her name immortalized 
in American history. 

The Pilgrims at Plymouth 

Having decided to locate at Plymouth in preference to Clark's 
island or at a site on Jones River, where Kingston now stands, 
preparations were made for building the town. On Saturday, 
January 3, 1621, the Pilgrims began to clear the lands for their 
new homes. A street was laid out running from the harbor 
to the hill, parallel with the little stream which they called the 
"Town Brook." The street was at first simply called "The 
Street"; later, when there were more streets, it was named "First 
Street"; and two hundred years later it received its present 
name, "Leyden Street." First, a common house was built, a 
building twenty feet square, to be used for a general meeting place 
and house of worship, and seven thatched roofed houses. In 
order to do away with the necessity of building so many houses, 
the company was divided into nineteen families, and each single 
man was assigned to some family. John Alden, for instance, was 
assigned to the family of Miles Standish. The construction of 
the common house was begun on Christmas day, nine days after 
the mooring of the Mayflower in the harbor; and on the following 
Sabbath the first religious services were held in the partly fin- 
ished building. 

The hardships of the long voyage, poor food, and the lack of 
proper shelter during the first winter on that bleak coast had 
their natural effect. Hardly had the building begun when a fever 
broke out among them, and in the course of two or three months 
nearly half of their number had died. The common house was 
converted into a hospital. Among those who died were Governor 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



111 



Carver and Rose Standish, the delicate wife of Captain Miles 
Standish. At one time there were only seven persons in the col- 
ony well enough to care for the sick and the dying. It was during 
this distressful time that Elder Brewster and Miles Standish 
rendered heroic service in nursing the sick. Those who died 
were buried on a bluff overlooking the harbor, at a place now 
known as Cole's Hill. That the Indians might not know their 
losses, the graves were leveled and Indian corn was planted over 
the place of burial. 

On February 24, 1621, the first town meeting in New England 
was held and civil government instituted; John Carver was 
elected Governor and Miles Standish, military Commander. 



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THE SEVEN HOUSES. 



LEYDEN STREET. 



Such laws as were necessary for the government of the colony 
were enacted. 

One day in Spring an Indian entered their village with the 
greeting "Welcome, Englishmen." He was a chief named 
Samoset, who had learned some English words from the fishermen 
on the coast of Maine. He afterwards brought an Indian named 
Squanto, who had been carried by force to England years before 
and then brought back. Squanto stayed with the Pilgrims and 
taught them many useful things. One day Samoset made his 
appearance in the village and announced that Massasoit, the 
grand sachem of the tribes of Pokanoket, was on his way to pay a 
visit to Plymouth. He and his tribe camped on what is now 



112 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

known as Watson's hill. He sent Squanto into the village with 
the message that he would like to have a conference. Winslow 
volunteered to go to the Indian camp. He assured Massasoit 
that the Pilgrims wanted him as their ally, and invited the 
chief to pay a visit to the white chief in the village. Leaving 
Winslow as a hostage, Massasoit with twenty of his braves 
marched down the hill to the Town Brook, where he was met by 
Captain Standish with six of his musketeers with military 
honors. This visit was of great importance to the colonists, for 
it resulted in a treaty being made with Massasoit, which was not 
broken for more than forty years. 

Treaty with Massasoit and the Colonists 

1. That neither he, nor any of his, should injure or do hurt £o 
any of our people. 

2. And if any of his did hurt to any of ours, he should send the 
offender to us that we might punish him. 

3. That if any of our tools were taken away when our 
people were at work, he should cause them to be restored; 
and if ours did any harm to any of his, we would do the like 
to them. 

4. If any did unjustly war against him, we would aid him. If 
any did war against us, he should aid us. 

5. He should send to his neighboring confederates to certify 
them of this, that they might not wrong us, but might be com- 
prised in the conditions of peace. 

6. That when their men came to us they should leave their 
bows and arrows behind them, as we should do our pieces when 
we came to them. 

7. Lastly, that doing this, King James would esteem of him 
as his friend and ally. 

In April, 1621, the Mayflower returned to England but not 
one of the surviving Pilgrims went back in her. They had come 
to stay, and would not let their misfortunes drive them away. 
Soon after the departure of the Mayflower, the colony suffered 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 113 

a great loss in the death of Governor Carver. William Bradford 
was then elected Governor. 

During the first summer (1621) of Governor Bradford's admin- 
istration 26 acres were planted and tilled; "the street" contained 
seven dwelling houses and four public buildings, A fine harvest 
had been gathered, and in view of this general prosperity, Gover- 
nor Bradford appointed a day of Thanksgiving "that they might 
after a special manner rejoice together after they had gathered the 
fruits of their labor." By invitation, Massasoit with ninety 
of his braves came to the feast. For three days they feasted 
and entertained this company. Thus this great national festival 
of Thanksgiving was inaugurated in New England by 53 white 
men, women and children, and 91 Indians. 

On November 19th the "Fortune" arrived from England 
with 35 persons to augment the colony. Before the spring of 
1622 the colony began to feel the rigor of famine. In the midst 
of this distress, there were some Indian tribes that showed an 
unfriendly feeling. The Narragansetts, who, it is said could 
muster 5000 warriors, looked upon the white men as invaders of 
their hunting-grounds. They not only refused to sign a treaty 
of peace, but sent a bundle of arrows wrapped in a rattlesnake skin 
to Governor Bradford. Accepting this for what it was intended 
— a declaration of war — the Governor stuffed the rattlesnake 
skin full of powder and balls and returned it. The Narragansetts 
knew what this meant, and decided to defer a declaration of war. 
It was now deemed expedient to fortify the town. They sur- 
rounded it with a stockade and kept a guard day and night. 
Hearing of the massacre in Virginia, they erected an additional 
fort on the hill, with a flat roof on which the guns were mounted; 
the lower story served them for a place of worship. 

During the summer two vessels, "The Anne" and "The Little 
James," arrived, bringing a reinforcement of sixty new colonists. 
Among those who came were Miss Alice Southworth, who in less 
than a fortnight became the wife of Governor Bradford, and Bar- 
bara, half sister to Rose, who became the wife of Captain Standish. 
Edward Winslow returned to England in "The Anne," and the 



114 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

next year brought back four head of cattle, the first introduction 
of cattle into the colony. "As John Alden and Priscilla had 
been married more than a year, the picture of Priscilla riding on 
a snow-white bull on her wedding day is an anachronism." In 
1623 the Pilgrims bought out the claims of the London Merchants, 
paying as much as 50 per cent, on borrowevl money. After the 
formation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1630, the Ply- 
mouth colony grew faster. At" that time there were only 300 
people in the Plymouth colony. In 1640, it had a population of 
nearly 3000. In 1670, they had 8000, divided among 20 towns. 
But the Massachusetts colony grew much more rapidly and in the 
end absorbed the Plymouth colony. 

THE CHARACTERS OF THE POEM 

Miles Standish 

This intrepid soldier who played such an important part in the 
history of Plymouth was born in Lancashire, in the north of Eng- 
land, but the exact date of his birth is not known. He was born 
about the year 1584, and was, consequently, at the time of the 
poem, about 36 years of age. He was the legitimate heir of a large 
estate in England, and through gross injustice was defrauded of 
it. Miles Standish came of a valiant race. One of his ancestors 
fought in the battle of Agincourt under Henry V in 1415. An- 
other was in the struggle in which Wat Tjder, the leader of the 
"Peasant Revolt" of 1381, was killed. Another, the Bishop of 
St. Asaph, North Wales, stood bravely by Catherine of Aragon, 
the wife of Henr^y VIII and aided her in resisting the divorce 
forced by the king that he might marry Anne Boleyn. "In 
the family record of Standish and Duxbury Hall in the parish 
of Chorley, Ole England, is the name of Miles Standanaught." 
"To stand at nothing in the way of duty commanded by the civil 
authority," said the orator at the laying of the corner-stone of 
the Standish monument, "seemed the essence of the character 
of Miles Standish." 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 115 

Though small of stature, he had an active and daring spirit, 
a fiery tempier, and a strong constitution. He was quick in 
quarrel, but, like most people, quick to recover; in friendship, 
staunch and true. 

He served in the Netherlands as a lieutenant, commissioned 
by Queen Elizabeth, in the forces sent over by England to aid the 
Dutch against the Spanish. After the truce of 1609, between 
Prince Maurice of Holland and the King of Spain, he remained 
in the Netherlands and settled with the English refugees in 
Leyden. He was not a church member, and no one knows what 
induced him to attach himself with the Pilgrims in their perilous 
enterprise to settle in America. 

It has been suggested by some writers that it was "probably 
love of adventure, sympathy with them in their cruel persecutions 
and attachment to some of the emigrants," that influenced him 
to cast his lot with these people who were seeking a home where 
they might worship God according to the dictates of their own 
conscience. 

He joined the first company of Pilgrims to America, and on 
their arrival at Cape Cod was appointed military commander of 
the party of sixteen men who were sent ashore to explore the 
country. When they began their settlement at Plymouth, he 
was unanimously chosen captain. In every enterprise con- 
nected with the colony. Captain Standish was ready at all times 
to put himself foremost, whether the object was discovery, traffic, 
or fighting with the Indians. While unconnected with the church 
organization, he was chief in their councils from the first. Be- 
sides being military commander, he served as one of the governor's 
assistants, and for several years was the treasurer of the colony. 
His little army of sixteen men was well drilled, and on many an 
occasion struck terror in the breasts of the Indians. "With 
that huge sword almost as tall as himself in hand, Standish must 
have indeed have been a formidable as well as picturesque figure. 
His coat of mail was a cloth garment, thickly interwoven with a 
metallic wire, rendering it durable and scarcely penetrable; 
and the suit included a breastplate and helmet. Athwart his 



116 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

breast was a broad leather band which sustained his sword. On 
his feet were buckled shoes. From beneath the helmet appeared 
thick masses of auburn hair, auburn at first, iron gray with ad- 
vancing years. The face was full and bronzed, with a tawny 
beard. The eyes of blue were keen and penetrating. No wonder 
that the spectacle of this white chief at the head of his stern vis- 
aged followers with their murderous muskets spread terror 
among the Indian tribes whose chiefs conspired to annihilate the 
intruding palefaces." ^ 

In 1623 Standish, at the head of his invincible army, conducted 
an expedition against the Massachusetts. This incident the 
poet has incorporated into "The Courtship of Miles Standish" 
with the skill of the true artist. "The governor, on receiving this 
intelligence, which was confirmed by other evidences, ordered 
Standish to take with him as many men as he should judge 
sufficient, and, if a plot should be discovered, to fall on the con- 
spirators. Standish, with eight men, sailed to the Massachusetts, 
where the natives, suspecting his design, insulted and threatened 
him. Watching his opportunity, when four of them, Witu- 
wamat, Pecksuot, another Indian, and a youth of eighteen, brother 
of Wituwamat, and about as many of his own men, were in the 
same room, he gave the signal to his men; the door was instantly 
shut; and, snatching the knife of Pecksuot from his neck, he 
killed him with it after a violent struggle; his party killed Witu- 
wamat and the other Indian, and hung the youth. Proceeding 
to another place, Standish killed an Indian and afterward had 
a skirmish with a party of Indians, which he put to flight. Stan- 
dish, with that generosity which characterizes true bravery, 
released the Indian women, without taking their beaver coats, 
or allowing the least incivility to be offered to them." ^ 

Rose Standish, his delicate wife, "his beautiful rose of love," 
was one of the first to wither and droop before the bleak winds of 
New England. She died January 29, 1621. His second wife was 

^ Historic Pilgrimages, by Bacon, p. 89. 
^ Annals of America, page 181. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 117 

Barbara, a half sister to Rose, who came over in the "Fortune." 
This was the fifth wedding in the colony. They had six children. 
He had one son, Alexander, who married Sarah, the daughter of 
John Alden. 

In 1625, he was sent to London to make a settlement with the 
London merchants, and finally succeeded in borrowing a thousand 
dollars at thirty per cent, interest. 

It was a sorrowful day for Governor Bradford when Miles 
Standish, John Alden, and the Brewsters took their families 
across the harbor to found the town of Duxbury. The farms of 
Brewster, the Puritan divine, and Standish, the Puritan soldier, 
were side by side. 

His peaceful home was situated on a picturesque peninsula, 
now known as Captain's Hill. He died October 3, 1656, at the 
age of seventy-three. 

"The days of his early manhood were passed through scenes of 
persecution and suffering, whose vicissitudes were painful and 
agitating in the extreme. As an exile, he had encountered 
poverty and had been exposed to the most severe deprivations 
and toils. He had lived to see the colony securely established, to 
see the Indians to a very great degree brought under the influence 
of Christian example and instruction. From one little settlement 
of seven huts, he had seen others springing up all around, till 
eight flourishing towns were established, with eight churches and 
eight pastors. He had seen the colony reduced to fifty souls, 
men, women, and children, and ere he died the census reported 
a population of eight thousand, with a well-defined government, 
a free constitution, and established law." ^ 

John Alden 

We know very little of the history of John Alden prior to the 
time when he hired to go as a cooper with the Pilgrims. This 
much we do know, that he was born in England in 1599. Brad- 
ford, in his History of Plimouth Plantation, says: "He was hired 

^ Miles Standish, by John S. C. Abbott, p. 333. 



118 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

for a cooper at Southampton, where the ship victualled, and being 
a hopeful young man, was much desired, but left to his own liking 
to go or stay when he came to Plymouth, but he stayed and 
married here." He was twenty-one years of age when he sailed 
in the Mayflower. He was assigned to a place in the family of 
Captain Miles Standish, and became private secretary to the 
doughty little captain. In the following spring, he married 
Priscilla MuUins, and became one of the helpful men in the affairs 
of the little colony. 

The tradition from which the romantic tale of the "Courtship 
of Miles Standish" is drawn rests upon shadowy ground. In the 
early part of the nineteenth century a little publication came to 
light under the title of Alden's Epitaphs, by the Rev. Dr. Timothy 
Alden. The incident as it has been handed down from generation 
to generation runs in this quaint fashion : 

"In a very short time after the decease of Mrs. Standish, the 
Captain was led to think that if he could obtain Miss Priscilla 
Mullins, a daughter of William Mullins, the breach in his family 
would be happily repaired. He, therefore, according to the cus- 
toms of those times, sent to ask Mr. Mullins' permission to visit 
his daughter. John Alden, the messenger, went and faithfully 
communicated the wishes of the Captain. The old gentleman 
did not object, as he might have done, on account of the recency 
of Captain Standish 's bereavement. He said it was perfectly 
agreeable to him, but the young lady must also be consulted. 
The damsel was then called into the room, and John Alden, who 
is said to have been a man of most excellent form, with a fair and 
ruddy complexion, arose, and in a very courteous and prepossess- 
ing manner, delivered his errand. Miss Mullins listened with 
respectful attention, and at last, after a considerable pause, fixing 
her eyes upon him, with an open and pleasant countenance, said : 
' Prithie, John, why do you not speak for yourself? ' He blushed, 
and bowed, and took his leave, but with a look which indicated 
more than his diffidence would permit him otherwise to express. 
However, he soon renewed his visit, and it was not long before 
their nuptials were celebrated in ample form What 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 119 

report he made to his constituent after the first interview 
tradition does not unfold; but it is said, how true the writer knows 
not, that the Captain never forgave him to the day of his death." 
It is not our purpose to mar this pretty tradition around which 
the poet has woven his fascinating story, but merely to state the 
facts in the case. This much we do know: that Rose Standish, 
the Captain's first wife, whom he married in the Isle of Man, 
died during the first winter in Plymouth, late in January, 1621. 
It is possible that Standish did woo the pretty Puritan maiden 
and was vanquished by the youthful and scholarly John Alden. 
John and Priscilla were married early in the same year, this wed- 
ding making the third wedding in the colony. That part of 
the tradition which speaks of the unforgiving spirit of the van- 
quished Captain must be in error, as the two families appear to 
have been on a friendly footing while dwelling in Duxbury. 
Standish and Alden served together in various public capacities, 
and Alden's daughter Sarah became the first wife of Standish's 
son, Alexander. During his long, active life, John Alden held 
many responsible positions. He served on several occasions as 
member of the council of war; for several years as agent of the 
colony, and for three years as the colony treasurer. He was the 
last surviving signer of the Mayflower Compact, and died on his 
EKixbury farm, September 12, 1687, at the age of eighty-seven 
years. 

Priscilla Mullins 

Very little is known of our heroine. Miss Priscilla Mullins. 
On the passenger list of the Mayflower were the names of Mr. 
William Mullins and his wife and two children, Joseph and 
Priscilla, and a servant, Robert Carter. Mr. Mullins, the father 
of Priscilla, is described as "a man pious and well-deserving, en- 
dowed with a considerable outward estate; and had it been the 
will of God that he had survived, might have proved a useful 
instrument in his place." He was the tenth signer of the compact. 
He died in the first sickness in Plymouth in the spring of 1621; 
likewise his wife and son Joseph. Priscilla Mullins was married 



120 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

to John Alden in the spring of 1621. They had eleven children. 
The poet is descended from the heroine through his mother, Miss 
Wadsworth. 

William Bradford 

Of this httle band of men who for freedom's sake "tempted the 
dangers of the unknown sea, to plant a home in an unknown 
wilderness," William Bradford was the guiding brain of this great 
enterprise. If it had not been for the pen of Bradford in recording 
"their lightest acts," step by step and day by day, through the 
terrible sufferings, crushing sorrows, and long privations, we would 
have to depend on tradition in portraying these scenes. To 
Bradford alone we are indebted for a connected history of the 
"Old Colony" during the first twenty-five years of its existence. 
Whoever would breathe the Plymouth atmosphere and feel the 
presence of the Pilgrims must go to these three old books written 
by Bradford: " Mourt's Relation," containing Bradford's Journal 
during the first eventful winter; Bradford's "Letter Book," con- 
taining invaluable collections of letters received by different 
members of the colony from friends in England and from those 
left behind in Ley den, together with the replies of the colonists; 
and Bradford's " History," which is a connected history of the 
Pilgrims for the first quarter of its existence. 

The story of Plymouth is the story of Bradford's life. His 
parents dying when he was still a child, he was educated by his 
uncles. The lad was greatly attached to William Brewster, a 
man thirty years his senior. Brewster's influence had a great 
deal to do in molding the character of young Bradford. Bradford 
was eighteen years old when the Scrooby congregation decided 
to remove to Holland. As soon as he reached his majority he 
sold his paternal estates in England. He was a member of the 
first company that came to America in 1620, He was one of the 
exploring party while the ship lay in Provincetown Harbor. 
On his return from one of these expeditions he was grieved to 
learn of the death of his wife, who had fallen overboard and 
drowned. After the death of Governor Carver, he was appointed 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 121 

to succeed him, which position he held for thirty-one years. In 
addition to his duties as Governor, he was required to serve as 
chief justice, minister of foreign affairs, and auditor of the 
treasury. The position of governor was not an ornamental one: 
he worked with the colonists in the fields, and led out the men 
every morning to their work. On the ninth of May, 1657, he 
died, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. His body was carried 
to the top of Burial Hill; no religious services were held. The 
whole community of Pilgrims gathered around the grave and 
mourned the loss of one who had been "a common father" to 
them all. 

William Brewster 

William Brewster, the excellent and sainted Elder of Plymouth, 
was born in England in 1560. After leaving the university of 
Cambridge he entered into the service of William Dawson, a 
courier of Queen Elizabeth and her ambassador to Scotland and 
Holland. It was in Brewster's house at Scrooby where the 
Separatist congregation met for worship. In his attempt to 
escape to Holland, he was caught and cast into prison. After 
being hberated from prison, he used his means to help the poorer 
members of the congregation to escape to Holland. When he 
reached Holland, his resources having been expended, he was 
obliged to find employment as a tutor. His conduct was of such 
an exemplary character that he was chosen "Ruling Elder" of 
the Plymouth Church. John Robinson remaining behind in 
Leyden, Elder Brewster came with the Pilgrims to America, and 
Buffered all the hardships attending their settlement in the wilder- 
ness. 

Brewster was the eldest of the Pilgrim Fathers, being fifty-six 
when he came over, while Bradford was but thirty-two, Standish 
thirty-six, Alden twenty-one, Winslow twenty-six, and Allerton 
thirty-one. 

In 1630 or 1631, a number of Plymouth families moved over 
and founded the town of Duxbury; these were Miles Standish, 
Elder Brewster, his eldest son Jonathan, Thomas Prince, and 



122 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

John Alden. By the terms of agreement, they were to live in 
Plymouth in the winter, and to attend church there, but a year or 
so after, the conditions were removed and Duxbury had its own 
church. Elder Brewster died in Duxbury April 16, 1644, at 
the age of eighty. 

Edward Winslow 

Edward Winslow was not only one of the chief leaders in the 
founding of the Plymouth colony, but the most accomplished man 
among the colonists. Like Standish, he was of notable lineage, 
tracing his family back to Walter de Wynslow, Esquire, Gentle- 
man at arms of the County of Buckingham. While traveling 
through Holland he was attracted to the Pilgrims and joined them 
two or three years before they emigrated to America. He 
rendered invaluable service to the colony. He was one of the 
exploring party from Provincetown ; gave himself as a hostage to 
the Indians while negotiations of the treaty with Massasoit were 
going on; strengthened the friendship of the Indians by visiting 
Massasoit while he was lying dangerously ill, and cured him when 
the medicine man had failed. In 1623 he was sent to England 
as agent of the colony. Upon his return in 1624, he brought the 
first neat cattle ever in New England. From 1624 to 1633 he 
was assistant to the governor. In 1633, 1636, and 1644 he was 
elected and served as governor. He was the first bridegroom in 
the colony and through his marriage to Susannah White be- 
came step-father to Peregrine White. Winslow's first wife, the 
gentle Elizabeth, came over with him, and died on March 24, 1621, 
three months after his arrival at Plymouth. Susannah White's 
husband died February 21, 1621. The wedding took place early 
in the following May. The second wedding in the colony was 
that of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilly, and the third, as 
previously stated, was that of John Alden and Priscilla. Edward 
Winslow died at sea in May, 1655. General John Winslow, great 
grandson of Edward Winslow, was the commander of the English 
forces at Grand-Pre, who directed the removal of the Acadiana 
from their homes. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 123 



STUDY OF THE POEM 

Character of the poem* 

a. It is a narrative poem because it tells a story. 
1. Kinds of narrative poems: 

a. Fable, a short story with a moral, e. g., ^^sop's Fables. 

b. Ballad, a short story of adventure, giving a single 
incident in the life of the principal character, e. g., 
Wreck of the Hesperus. 

c. Epic, an extended story of elevated character dealing 
with heroic exploits, e. g., The Greek Iliad; Dante's 
Divine Comedy. 

d. Romances, a story of extraordinary and improbable 
events, e. g., Tennyson's Idylls of the King, 

e. Idylls (from the Greek, meaning a little picture), a 
story of no very great length, describing simple country 
life and natural scenery, e. g., Evangeline. 

The first thing to do is to determine whether the poem is a 
fable, a ballad, an epic, a romance, or an idyll, and to give your 
reasons for the same. Many critics do not agree as to its classi- 
fication, and why should you? 

Figures of Speech 

A figure of speech is a deviation from the usual form of ex- 
pression. Its purpose is to add to the beauty of expression and 
to make language more forceful and effective. Figures of speech 
are frequently and many times unconsciously used in ordinary 
conversation. When we say I gave him a square deal, that man 
has a soft heart, he swelled with pride, that was a wild scheme, 
she has a sharp tongue, we are using figures of speech. 

It has been truthfully said that ''words are the mortar and 
bricks of the building, while sentences are the completed walls; 
that just as architecture demands that the walls be beautified, so 
writing demands that the sentences be embellished. What figures 
are to a writer, so are colors to the artist." Longfellow's figures 



124 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

of speech, while they are homely in character, are highly pictorial, 
and make a pleasing impression on the mind. > 

The three figures of speech that are most frequently used are 
the simile, the metaphor, and personification. 

A simile is an expressed resemblance between objects of differ- 
ent classes. It is generally introduced by some words of com- 
parison, as, like, as, or similar to. It should be remembered that 
mere resemblances do not constitute similes. For instance, 
there is no rhetorical simile if we compare one man with another, 
Napoleon to Caesar, one river with another, two trees, two houses; 
these are called real resemblances, not figurative comparisons. 
But we may compare time to a river, a person to a tree, for the 
things which we have compared belong to objects of different 
classes. 

(a) "Brown as a nut was his face," I, 13. 

(b) "His russet beard was already flaked with patches of snow 
as hedges sometimes in November," I, 14. 

(c) "The carded wool like a snow-drift," III, 44. 

Each of these examples is a simile, in which two objects of 
different classes are compared and a resemblance discovered. 
The following outline will aid the pupil to determine if the figure 
is a simile or not: 

1. Name the objects to be compared. 

2. Are the objects to be compared of different classes? 

3. Have the objects compared a common quality or resemblance? 

4. Is the resemblance expressed in the figure? 

In the first example, what are the objects to be compared? 
Nut and face. Are the objects of different classes? They are. 
What is the common quality of these two objects? Brown. 
Is the common quality expressed in the figure? It is. Then 
the figure, "Brown as a nut was his face, " is a simile. 



I II 

"Brown as a nut was his face." 



There is a second class of figures called the metaphor. A 
metaphor is an abridged simile in that it is founded upon a resemb- 



BIOORAPHICAL SKETCH 125 

lance between objects. But there is this distinction, that the 
resemblance is implied, and not expressed. 

(a) "Sinews of war," I, 12. 

(b) "My brazen howitzer is a preacher," I, 46, 37. 

(c) Children lost in the woods," III, 28. 

There is another class of figures called personification. Per- 
sonification consists in giving to inanimate objects or animals 
qualities that belong to human beings. Examples: The dog 
laughed. The wind howled. The mists looked down upon the 
valley. The old barn door creaked with laughter. 

(a) "Welcome, O wind of the East! * * * lay thy cold, moist 
hand on my burning forehead," IV, 11-14. 

(b) "Out of the sea rose the sun, the billows rejoiced at his 
coming," V, 24. 

(c) "Once it had hfted its hand, and moved its lips," IX, 29. 
Another figure is called apostrophe. Apostrophe is a form of 

personification. It is a figure in which we address inanimate 
objects as if they were animated, the absent as present. It 
usually indicates a high degree of emotion. Examples: My 
country, 'tis of thee. O Death, where is thy sting? Ye winds 
of memory, sweep the silent lyre. 

(a) "Welcome, O wind of the East," etc., IV, 10, 11. 

An allegory is a form of metaphor making a connected story, 
teaching an evident moral. 

"God had sifted three kingdoms {i. e., England, Scotland, and 
Holland) to find the wheat for this planting, then had sifted the 
wheat, as the living seed of a nation," IV, 105, 106. 

The eightieth psalm is an excellent illustration of an allegory: 
** Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the 
heathen and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst 
cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were 
covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like 
the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and 
her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down 
her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? 



126 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of 
the field doth devour it." ' 

"Metonoray is a figure which consists in substituting one object 
for another, the two being so closely related that the mention of 
one suggests the other." Example: The drunkard loves his 
bottle (the liquor contained). The water boils (meaning the 
water in the kettle). Gray hairs {i. e., old age) should be res- 
pected. 

(a) "Nothing was heard in the room but the hurrying pen of 
the striphng," I, 81. 

"Synecdoche is a figure in which we use the name of one 
object to signify some other connected object. It consists in 
putting the part for the whole, the whole for the part." Example: 
We speak of the sail, meaning the whole ship. All hands (all 
men) were at work. (The part for the whole.) The world (the 
people generally) knows his virtue. (The whole for the part.) 

(a) "You have lived under my roof" (whole house). 

(b) "You have fed at my board" (whole table). 

(c) "Drunk at my cup." 

Other figures of speech are exclamation, interrogation, hyper- 
bole, climax, irony, vision, euphemism, onomatopoeia, litotes, 
parallel, allusion, alliteration. 

CRITICAL OPINIONS OF THE POEM 

"The delightful narrative poem of 'The Courtship of Miles 
Standish' is one of those typical creations we have in mind. It 
is a rendering playful, yet tender, realistic in setting, yet touched 
with romance, of a story from our early colonial history, in 
which characters who are in danger of being names and nothing 
more in the hands of the formal chronicler, are brought near to 
us and made warm and sympathetic by means of imaginative 
presentation." — Richard Burton. 

"'The Courtship of Miles Standish' was an advance upon 
'Evangeline,' so far as concerns structure and the distinct char- 
acterization of personages. A merit of the tale is the frolicsome 



BIOGHAPHWAL SICETCH 127 

humor here and there, lighting up the gloom that blends with 
our conception of the Pilgrim inclosure, and we see that comic and 
poetic elements are not at odds in the scheme of a bright imagina- 
tion. The verse, though stronger, is more labored than that of 
'Evangeline'; some of the lines are prosaic, almost inadmissible." 
— Edmund Clarence Stedman. 

''The story of Miles Standish and of John Alden is as old as 
the hills, but it was never told with a clearer or more deliberate 
purpose, nor in the telling of it were the feelings of the three 
persons concerned made more conspicuous. * * * I do not 
intend to say that the story as told by Longfellow is deficient in 
pathos. No such story could be told by him so as to want it 
altogether. But the whole tale of John Alden — for he is the hero, 
and not Miles Standish — is narrated in the language of ordinary 
life, for which the Latin hexameters are hardly fitted. The history 
is given with great rapidity, and yet seems to include all that 
there is to be said. Indeed, the story as a story is admirably 
complete. 'Evangeline' is not complete. It is vague and wand- 
ering, and given only in parts, whereas 'Miles Standish' is round 
and finished from beginning to end." — Anthony Trollope. 

Suggestive Questions 

1. Name the place and time of action. What incident helps 
us to fix the very month and the year? 

2. From what sources did the poet get his material for the 
poem? 

3. Are the characters true to history? 

4. In what respects did the author deviate from the historical 
narrative of the Pilgrims? 

5. Name instances where the author has rearranged incidents 
to suit his plot. 

6. What is the climax of the story (the point where the interest 
is at its highest pitch)? 

7. Which line in the poem definitely fixes the time of the 
story? 



128 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

8. How do you reconcile these two facts: the saiHng of the 
Mayflower on its return voyage in 1621; and Miles Standish's 
raid against the Indians in 1623? 

9. What is the difference between the Pilgrims and the 
Puritans? 

10. Which do you consider the most heroic act of Miles 
Standish? 

1 1 . Of the books belonging to Standish, why did the poet make 
him select Caesar for perusal, while Alden was away on his errand 
of proposal? 

12. Does the poem give you the impression that Alden and 
Priscilla were acquainted before sailing on the Mayflower? 

13. Which makes the greater impression on you, the historical 
narrative of the little band of settlers or the poem? 

14. Why does the poet use so many Biblical allusions? 

15. What was the bond of friendship between Alden and 
Standish? 

16. Who is the hero of the poem? What does he do that is 
heroic? 

17. Gather together all that the poet says of any one character, 
summarizing each named. 

18. Why did the poet name his story "The Courtship of 
Miles Standish," instead of " Priscilla," as originally intended? 

19. Was Alden true to his friend when he delivered the Captain's 
offer of marriage? 

20. In the conflict of love and friendship, which usually wins? 

21. Has this poem a moral, and if so, what is it? 

22. Compare and contrast the characters of Standish and 
Alden. 

23. Is the family history of the poet in any way connected 
with the story? 

24. What is the underlying motive of the story? 

25. What is Alden's first crisis? Name others. 

26. What is the prevailing hue of the poem? 

27. Is the story interesting? Does the interest flag at any 
point? 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 129 

28. Where is the heroine first mentioned? What was the 
purpose of mentioning her here at all? 

29. Where is the first hint that John Alden himself loved 
Priscilla? 

30. Select the best description of a sunrise; a sunset; of a forest. 

31. Why are the scriptural phrases appropriate in this poem? 

32. What do you consider the best parts of the poem? Why? 

33. Are the homes and surroundings of the people fully des- 
cribed? Point out examples. 

34. What are the chief traits of the heroine's character? 

35. Are there any pathetic passages in the poem? Where? 

36. Are there, any humorous passages in the poem? Where? 

Bibliography 

Historical 

"History of Plymouth," by W. T. Davis. 

** Annals of America," by Holmes. 

"General History of Virginia," by Capt. John Smith. 

"State Papers," by Hazard. 

Bradford's and Winslow's "Journal in Young's Chronicles." 

"Chronological History of New England," by Prince. 

"New England's Memorial," by Morton. 

"New England's Plantation," by Higginson. 

"Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers," by Young. 

"Massachusetts Historical Collections." 

"New England's Prospect," by Wood. 

"History of the Plimouth Plantation," by William Bradford. 

"Our Plymouth Forefathers," by Charles Stedman Hanks. 

"The Story of the Pilgrim Fathers," by E. Arber. 

"On Plymouth Rock," by Samuel Adams Drake. 

"Old Colony Days," by May Alden Ward. 

"The Pilgrim Republic," by John A. Goodwin. 

"Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth," by William T. Davis. 

"Myles Standish," by John S. C. Abbott. 



130 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

"Words of John Robinson: Farewell Address to the Pilgrima 
upon Their Departure from Holland." 

''Pilgrims in Their Three Homes/' by W. E. Griffis. 

"Story of the Pilgrims," by M. Dexter. 

"View from Plymouth Rock," by Z. A. Mudge. 

"England and Holland of the Pilgrims," by H. M. and M. 
Dexter. 

"History of the Town of Plymouth," by J. Thacher. 

"Historic Pilgrimages in New England," by E. M. Bacon. 

"Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth," by G. B. Cheever. 

"Our Pilgrim Forefathers," by L. A. Nelson. 

"Pilgrims and Puritans," by Morris. 

"Exploits of Standish," by H. Johnson. 

"Pilgrim Fathers of New England," by W. C. Martyn. 

"Pilgrims in Old England," by A. H. Bradford. 

Fictional 

"A Nameless Nobleman," by Jane Austin. 

"Standish of Standish," by Jane Austin. 

"Betty Alden," by Jane Austin. 

"Dr. LeBaron and his Daughters," by Jane Austin. 

"David Alden's Daughter," by Jane Austin. 

"Little Pilgrims at Plymouth," by F. A. Humphrey. 

"Patience," by Elizabeth W. Champney, 

"The Pilot of the Mayflower," by Hezekiah Butterworth. 

FOR ADVANCED CLASSES 

Structure of the Poem 

We will now consider the more difficult and at the same time 
the most interesting part of narration. Narration may be 
divided into simple and complex. In simple narration, the chief 
character, called the protagonist, goes from the beginning of 
the story to the end without meeting difficulties. Sara Orne 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 131 

Jewett's story, ''The Confessions of a Housebreaker," is a good 
example of simple narration. 

Each person has a line of interest. If your line of interest 
runs parallel with the line of interest of your friend, there can be 
no complications^ but as soon as the two lines of interest cross each 
other, you form a plot. A plot is the weaving together of two 
or more lines of interest. For instance, in the story of Silas 
Marner there are two lines of interest: the Cass interest and the 
Marner interest. These two interests, which form a plot, may 
be shown by the following diagram : 



CASS INVeREST 



MARNER INTEREST 





SIL AS FINDS EPPIE EPPIE REJECTS HER FATHER, GODFREY CASS, 

AND ADOPTS HER. AND DECIDES TO REMAIN WITH S/LAS. 



The first time where these two interests cross each other is 
when Silas Marner discovers Eppie and adopts her as his child; 
the second is when Godfrey Cass confesses to Silas Marner that 
he is Eppie's father and wants to take her to live with him and is 
refused by Eppie. 

In complex narration there is a plot; there are obstacles. If 
the protagonist overcomes the obstacle, that narration is a 
comedy. If the protagonist is overcome by the obstacle, it is a 
tragedy. In the ''Courtship of Miles Standish" there are two 
lines of interest: the Standish interest and the Alden interest. 
Show by diagram, similar to the Silas Marner story, how these two 
lines of interests cross each other. 

There are two forces in complex narration: 

First, "The complicating force, which is usually a character 
by whose means the protagonist is brought face to face with 
the obstacle." This is the force which ties the knot. Second, 
"The resolving force, which is usually a character through whose 



132 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

aid the protagonist overcomes the obstacle." This is the force 
which unties the knot. In the " Merchant of Venice" the compli- 
cating force is Shylock ; the obstacle is the pound of flesh ; and the 
resolving force is Portia. In "The Courtship of Miles Standish," 
pick out the complicating force, the obstacle, and the resolving 
force. Now the "Merchant of Venice" may either be a tragedy 
or a comedy. If Shylock is considered as the protagonist, it 
becomes a tragedy, as he was overcome by the obstacle, the pound 
of flesh. If Antonio is considered as the protagonist, it is a comedy, 
as he overcame the obstacle, the pound of flesh. In like manner 
show that "The Courtship of Miles Standish" may be either a 
tragedy or a comedy. 

A drama is formally divided into acts and scenes. A drama is 
logically divided into five acts, and each act has a name and a 
purpose. The first act is called the introduction. Its purpose 
is to present the principal characters, the place and time of the 
action, and to a certain degree to foreshadow what is to follow. 
The second act is called the entanglement or the rising (tragedy) 
action. In this act the various lines of interest are entangled. 
This act is sometimes spoken of as tying the knot. The third act 
is called the climax. The climax is the highest point of interest. 
In this act the resolving force appears. The fourth act is called 
the disentanglement, or the falling action. It may also be called 
the solution. In this act the obstacle is nearly surmounted or 
nearly triumphs. The fifth act is called the catastrophe. In 
this act the play ends. 

Take the story of "The Courtship of Miles Standish" and 
divide it into five acts. In the first act write briefly the intro- 
duction, naming the time and place; the chief characters. Write 
a summary showing what you consider as the second act, naming 
the obstacle and the complicating force. In the third act name 
the climax. Quote the line in the poem which in reality is the 
climax of the story. Write briefly the fourth act, showing the 
solution, and how the resolving force brought about the solution. 
In the fifth act write the conclusion of the story or the catas- 
trophe. The five acts of a play may be illustrated as follows: 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



133 



Act I 


Act it 


Act m 


Act W 


Act V 


INTRODUCTION 


ENTANGLEMENT 

Off 
RISING ACTION 


CLIMAX 


DISENTANGLEMENT 

OR 
FALLING ACTION 


CATASTROPHE 



In diagramming a tragedy the line of action runs thus: 



Act I 


Act n 


Act m 


Act IV 


Act ¥ 




"^ 


^^^ 


^~- 


-^ 



In diagramming a comedy the line of action runs thus: 



Act I 


Act it 


Act m 


Act if 


Act V 


" 


--^ 






-"^^ 



In every perfectly constructed play there are two elements 
which enter into it, called the tragic force and the moment of sus- 
pense. The tragic force appears shortly after the climax. When 
the climax has been reached, that is the highest point of interest 
in the story ; it is the author's aim to divert his hearers or readers 
for a time from the main action of the story, and to arouse interest 
in a new line of action which in turn helps to solve the problem or 
to bring about the solution. The tragic force in "The Courtship 
of Miles Standish" is the march of Miles Standish against the 
Indians, Show how this tragic force helped to bring about the 
solution. Just before the play ends there is a "moment of 
suspense." You have been aroused to a high pitch of excite- 



134 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

ment over the outcome of the story, and for a moment there is a 
suspense during which you feel that the protagonist will, after 
all, get out of his entanglement. Immediately after the "moment 
of suspense" the play comes to a quick termination. The 
"moment of suspense" in "The Courtship of Miles Standish" 
is the sudden and unexpected appearance of Captain Miles 
Standish at the wedding of John Alden and Priscilla, which 
causes the bridegroom to start and to stare at the strange 
apparition and the bride to turn pale. 

The construction of the plot may be represented by the in- 
verted angle or by a curved line, as follows : 





CUMAX 

A 




CLIMAX 


"N. 


£MT»N6L£--J 
•MENT r- 


/\ 


\.D/scvniiei£- ^ 

7\ MtNT EhfTANGL£-f 
\ -MeNT 1 




\m£fn/iiisiB 

A MCNT 

\ 


/ 

INTRODUCTION 




CATASTROPHE INTRODUCTION 




CATASTROPHE 



JUL 31 1911 



fe 



''-^ 



